Chapter 212

Xiao Minghuang nodded, took the hands of Ye and Lin, and walked towards the outside of the hall.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace gate, they saw a young man in white robes land on the ground.

"Princess Xiao, Miss Ye, Miss Lin!"

Han Li clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, laughing heartily.

"Fellow Daoist Han arrived so quickly!"

"Hehe... Princess Xiao, you flatter me. Once we enter the inner courtyard, I hope that you will occasionally show us some favor, considering that we both come from the Southern Border. Han Li will be extremely grateful."

As he spoke, Han Li took out a bulging storage bag from his sleeve, held it in both hands, and presented it to her.

"These are all the spoils Han Li has gathered in the secret realm these past few days. Please don't find them too shabby, Princess Xiao."

Looking at the extremely humble Han Li, Xiao Minghuang raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and a smile appeared in her eyes.

This Han Li is quite pragmatic and decisive.

This is indeed his last chance to contact me.

Once inside the inner courtyard, he found himself surrounded by geniuses. As a mere Rogue Cultivator with no connections, his only advantage in trying to establish a relationship with her was their shared origin in the Southern Border.

If we don't seize this last chance to curry favor, there will truly be no other opportunity.

Xiao Minghuang chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Han, you're too kind..."

With a wave of her hand, she pushed the storage bag in front of Lin Wanqiu.

Lin Wanqiu immediately understood and put it into her sleeve.

Seeing that Xiao Minghuang accepted the storage bag, Han Li's heart finally settled down. He bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Han Li! From now on, I will obey any request you may make!"

"Fellow Daoist Han, you flatter me. It's nothing more than a mutually beneficial arrangement," Xiao Minghuang with a faint smile.

"Yes, yes..."

Han Li nodded repeatedly.

Immediately, Xiao Minghuang led Ye, Lin, and Han Li into the teleportation portal.

The next moment.

The four were teleported to an unfamiliar grand hall.

Not far from them sat an old man in purple robes, none other than the Seventeen Water Spirit King.

"Haha, congratulations on breaking through to the Primal Embryo Realm and officially entering the Inner Academy!"

The Seventeen Water Spirit King stood up and spoke with a smile on his face.

The four people bowed in greeting.

Xiao Minghuang said, "We are so grateful for the support of the Holy Academy, otherwise we wouldn't be where we are today."

"Hehe... This is all due to your own talent and hard work. The Holy Academy merely provided an environment. There's no need to belittle yourselves."

The Seventeen Water Spirit King stroked his beard and chuckled.

Immediately, he flicked his sleeve, and four Jade Slip flew out and landed in front of the four people.

"The inner court is divided into ten sections according to the Heavenly Stems, each headed by a Holy King. You need to choose which head to become your disciple."

"There is no hierarchy among the ten academies; they are all of equal status, but each has its own strengths."

"This Jade Slip contains a general overview of the Ten Academies. You can take your time and read it carefully, as it will determine your future. Once it's decided, it cannot be changed."

The Seventeen Water Spirit King spoke in a solemn and serious tone.

"The one who made a move in the secret realm earlier was none other than the head of the Second Academy, the Clear Sky Saint King, Mu Qingkong."

"I've got it!"

Xiao Minghuang and the other three responded.

"Um."

The Seventeen Water Spirit King nodded, then looked at Ye Ruoshui and said, "You have the Innate Fire God Body, so you can consider joining the Three Academies. The head of the Three Academies is an Innate Fire Saint Body, whose path is similar to yours."

"Thank you for your guidance, senior."

Then, he glanced at Xiao Minghuang and the other two.

"I won't say much more about the paths you three choose; make your decisions wisely."

251. The Heavenly Dipper Assembly

Thanks to the guidance of the Clear Sky Saint King, Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu made their choice in no time.

Xiao Minghuang did not make a decision immediately. She planned to pay her respects to the Clear Sky Saint King after entering the inner courtyard, and then make further plans.

Upon learning of her thoughts, the Seventeen Water Spirit King said somewhat uncertainly, "Your talent is very high, and the Chief might be considering taking you as a disciple... but you shouldn't have too high expectations. The Chief has been a saint for over two thousand years and has never taken on a single disciple, not even a nominal one. There have been other monstrous geniuses who could rival you before, but the Chief didn't take any of them as disciples."

Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Xiao Minghuang's beautiful eyes. "Thank you for your guidance, senior. I know what I'm doing!"

"Yes, it's good that you understand. Remember, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

After speaking, the Seventeen Water Spirit King led four others and left the hall.

These four were the first among this group of disciples to break through to the Primal Embryo Realm.

The remaining disciples will likely have to stay in the Reception Hall for a long time, and if they cannot break through to the Primal Embryo Realm, they will ultimately have no chance to enter the Inner Academy.

Soon, Xiao Minghuang and the others arrived at an unfamiliar square.

The Spiritual Qi here is far more abundant than in the outside world, even surpassing the Reception Hall by ten times!

Even with such abundant Spiritual Qi, it did not condense into mist, seemingly influenced by some kind of formation; the air remained clear and bright.

The square is paved with thick obsidian, and a row of neat, uniform pavilions stands around it.

These pavilions are specifically for newly admitted disciples to live in the inner academy.

After all, these disciples have just qualified to enter the inner academy and have not yet decided which academy they will enter. During this period, they need a place to stay.

However, it was inconvenient to settle them in a courtyard, as it could affect their judgment. Therefore, a separate square was built here, and houses were constructed for them to temporarily settle down.

After all, not everyone is like Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu, who received personal guidance from a Holy King.

Moreover, if it weren't for the unexpected events during this trial, around a hundred people should have been able to enter the inner courtyard directly.

The Seventeen Water Spirit King led four people to the pavilion.

"Until a decision is made, you can stay here temporarily, but only for seven days. If you still haven't made a decision after seven days, you will be randomly assigned to one of the hospitals. Remember that!"

"This junior understands!"

Everyone spoke in unison.

"There's no need to worry about safety in the inner courtyard. As long as you don't accept challenges from others, no one can harm you. Not only is there a protective array here, but there are also patrols by King Realm experts and supervisors by Saint Realm experts, so you can be worry-free."

Upon hearing that a Supreme Saint was supervising the inner court disciples, a hint of doubt suddenly flashed in Xiao Minghuang's eyes.

She harbors many secrets; what will happen if the Holy Realm discovers them?

Not only Xiao Minghuang, but Han Li also had this doubt, so he asked:

"Senior, the inner courtyard is so secure, doesn't that mean we have absolutely no privacy?"

"Hehe... you're overthinking it. Seniors at the Saint Realm usually don't concern themselves with trivial matters among disciples, unless you issue a challenge or cause some major upheaval... in short, there's no need to worry about this."

"... This disciple has been presumptuous."

Han Li said awkwardly.

Xiao Minghuang nodded to herself.

Come to think of it, a sage is busy with countless affairs of state; how could he have time to care about the secrets of his junior disciples?

With so many disciples in the inner courtyard, even if one wanted to investigate, it would be impossible to find them all.

The Seventeen Water Spirit King glanced at Xiao Minghuang again, "When do you plan to pay your respects to Head Mu?"

Xiao Minghuang snapped out of her reverie and replied, "If it won't be a disturbance, we can do it now."

"I happen to have something to discuss with the Chief, so I'll take you with me."

"Thank you, senior!"

The Seventeen Water Spirit King waved his hand, and a small boat floated away.

"Come up."

Xiao Minghuang glanced back at Ye and Lin, and smiled, "You two just go about your own business. I'll come back to see you."

"Um."

Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu nodded obediently.

Then, Xiao Minghuang leaped onto the small boat and flew away into the distance.

In the sky, Xiao Zhou trailed a long, faint beam of light, piercing through the clouds and mist, flying among the clouds.

Xiao Minghuang squinted slightly, gazing at the ever-changing scenery.

"The so-called Inner Court is not an academy, but a vast small world. Strictly speaking, this place is no longer located in the Eastern Pole."

On the way, the Seventeen Water Spirit King began to recount the situation in the inner courtyard.

"This small world was created by the Old Dean. Over countless years, it has been strengthened and expanded countless times. It is solid and vast, and its area is larger than all the secret realms and cave heavens of all the holy lands and aristocratic families in the Eastern Pole combined!"

"This is also one of the reasons why the Holy Academy can govern the Eastern Pole."

"... Within the inner courtyard, there are thirty-six mountain ranges of the Heavenly Gang, corresponding to the thirty-six stars of the Heavenly Gang. The disciples of the inner courtyard each establish their own cave dwellings on these mountain ranges."

"You've just entered the sect. Even if you successfully become a disciple of Head Mu, don't show off too much. Go to the lowest-ranking Tianqiao Star, open up a cave dwelling, and lie low for a while. Wait until you understand the situation in the inner courtyard before making any plans."

"In the inner courtyard, a Heavenly Dipper Assembly is held every ten years to determine the order of disciples who have entered the sect within the last hundred years, and the level of training they receive is determined according to their ranking."

"Five years from now will be the next Heavenly Dipper Assembly. With your talent, you should be able to enter the top fifty. It's a pity you started too late. If you had started five years earlier, you would definitely have entered the top ten in this gathering!"

The Seventeen Water Spirit King said with some regret.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang raised an eyebrow and asked, "The Heavenly Dipper Assembly?"

From that Jade Slip, she knew of the existence of the Heavenly Dipper Assembly, but she didn't know much about the specific details.

"The Heavenly Dipper Assembly is actually a test of the Holy Academy's disciples' strength. Different treatments are given according to the disciples' strength. You can understand it that way."

"More specific details will be told to you by your master after you formally become an apprentice; I cannot say more at this time."

To say anything more would be to overstep one's bounds.

"It was my mistake that led me to speak out."

Xiao Minghuang said apologetically.

"It's alright, we'll be there soon."

The Seventeen Water Spirit King waved his hand.

It was none of the Seventeen Water Spirit King's business, and he didn't want to say more. After all, Xiao Minghuang might be about to become the disciple of the Clear Sky Saint King. If he revealed all these things, he would be embarrassed if the Clear Sky Saint King asked about them later.

And so, Xiao Minghuang followed the Seventeen Water Spirit King, traversing the towering mountains and ridges.

But they moved extremely fast, and in less than a quarter of an hour, they arrived in front of a majestic and towering mountain.

The mountain range soars into the clouds, stretching for thousands of miles, resembling a giant beast lying on its side.

"This is the main peak of the Second Courtyard B."

Xiao Minghuang looked up at the towering mountain peaks, and felt a vast and unfathomable aura rushing towards her, as if life was bursting forth, spring was returning to the earth, and all things were reviving.

252. Lily Girl

Standing on the small boat, the Seventeen Water Spirit King called out loudly towards the palace complex atop the peak, "The Seventeen Water Spirit King, along with the newly promoted inner court disciple Xiao Minghuang, requests an audience with the Clear Sky Saint King!"

His voice echoed through the valley, lingering for a long time.

Soon, a clear voice came from deep within the palace:

"Come in!"

The words had barely left his mouth.