City Riot! Advanced Academy!

The scene shifted, and even the music inside the car turned stirring and impassioned!

Wu Yu opened the window and looked outside.

The bridgehead ended in a sheer drop, and the hovercar rose into the air, entering the aerial tracks.

Ahead lay a clamor of noise.

It was as though they had crossed from an ancient age into the future. Towering skyscrapers filled the eye, rising one after another.

One Star Ring after another divided the city districts, each one an aerial track.

Countless hovercars sped through them, like great rivers pouring into the sea, streams converging from all directions.

This was the City of Ten Thousand Rivers!

As the hovercar passed a high-rise, a massive advertising screen hung upon it. Inside, disabled people replaced their limbs with cybernetic prosthetics, endlessly praising Mozi Technology: flesh was weak and bitter; through augmentation, one ascended!

Behind enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, several sharply dressed men drank tea and chatted merrily.

In the blink of an eye, the hovercar passed through more skyscrapers.

Leaning against the window, Wu Yu drank his beverage while narrowing his eyes to admire the sights of the Cyber City.

In a villa complex, boys and girls raced on hoverboards, their laughter and cheers ringing out.

Within sky gardens, a hundred flowers bloomed in rivalry, reversing the seasons.

Yet amid this dazzling metropolis stood one skyscraper that pierced the clouds, more conspicuous than all the rest.

It was the tallest building in the entire City of Ten Thousand Rivers—Spirit Mountain Technology's headquarters!

And also... River City's uncrowned king!

"In my previous life, River City was a place where the Daoist sects flourished. Now, Buddhism rises while Daoism declines; you can't even see a single Daoist priest in the city."

Wu Yu sipped his drink, curiosity stirring within him.

After the Great Cataclysm, had the Daoist sects suffered some devastating blow?

Or perhaps... this was merely unique to River City. Other cities might not be the same.

The hovercar gradually entered the inner-ring district, traveling high through the sky.

Looking down, Wu Yu saw the sunlit city glittering like a divine city of gold.

Between the skyscrapers, robots, drones, and aircraft could be seen everywhere.

He could not help turning his head to look toward the other side!

Beyond the river-crossing bridge, the civilian district was like a dull gray stone, dim and lifeless.

People were even unwilling to regard that place as part of the city.

Suddenly!

The hovercar came to an abrupt stop. Wu Yu swayed, immediately circulating his qi and blood to steady himself and avoid being thrown down by inertia.

"Warning! Warning! A Transcendent riot has occurred on the tracks ahead!"

"Inspection Bureau notice: all citizens, retreat with caution..."

Voices from different channels came through the radio.

The next moment,

An electronic voice sounded within the car.

"Dear monthly subscriber, your subscription includes emergency-use coverage. The spirit-energy shield has been activated!"

Buzz—! A transparent shield enveloped the hovercar.

Wu Yu frowned slightly and gazed into the distance.

There came a roar from afar. Scorching heat exploded into a storm, even spreading all the way here.

Boom—!

Explosions rang out without end. Flames and lightning swept across the aerial tracks, and the aftershocks crashed against the hovercar's shield with terrifying force.

"What's going on?"

He frowned.

A saying circulated in River City.

The daytime belonged to the mortal world,

The night belonged to hell.

In broad daylight, the major powers maintained order. Few would dare to be so brazen.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound tore through the air. Several kinetic-armored suits flew past, the Inspection Bureau insignia emblazoned on their alloy armor.

"Inspection Bureau armed guards!"

"What kind of enemy is this fierce?"

Wu Yu was greatly surprised.

At that moment!

Boom—!

Heavenly lightning struck down in the distance. A figure wreathed in flames strode through the air, crushed the lightning in his hand, and blew up a helicopter with one punch.

Over a hundred missiles shot toward him. The figure opened his mouth and exhaled, and frigid air spread through the surroundings, freezing the sky in the blink of an eye.

Frost concealed the scene in the heavens, and Wu Yu could no longer make out what was happening inside. He only knew that the Inspection Bureau's armed guards had arrived, and they were likely battling the vicious criminal within.

"Tsk, tsk."

He shook his head.

At this moment, the hovercar began to descend.

"Dear monthly subscriber, track information has been updated. Entering a temporary track!"

Melodious music began playing in the car again. The hovercar sped onward, and before long, it had left the riot zone far behind.

At some point, the hovercar came to a stop.

"Dear user, River City Advanced Academy has been reached. Thank you for supporting Tianpeng Service!"

The car door opened. Wu Yu drained the last of his drink, casually tossed the container into a trash bin, and stepped out of the vehicle.

Outside, people streamed back and forth.

Before him stretched a broad road paved with azure stones. Spirit stone fragments had been laid beneath it, allowing the road's spiritual aura to show outwardly. Clouds and mist rose from it, making it seem like an immortal path.

The North District gate was made of a Transcendent material, inscribed with formations. Ancient and mysterious runes covered its surface.

"River City Advanced Academy!"

Wu Yu glanced at the words above the gate and walked inside.

Unlike his previous life, after the Great Cataclysm, schools had been divided into elementary, intermediate, and advanced academies.

There were quite a few elementary and intermediate academies, but only one advanced academy.

With a hundred towns outside the city and eighteen million permanent residents within it, one could imagine how difficult it was to gain admission to the advanced academy.

The moment he crossed through the gate, Wu Yu felt the convenience of divine sense.

He could see every person's expression and facial details, and even glimpse scenes within his blind spots.

For example, someone sneaking up from behind him...

"What are you doing?"

Wu Yu suddenly turned around, startling the newcomer.

"Damn!"

The newcomer was a dark, skinny young man. Patting his stomach, he complained, "How'd you notice me?"

"Your ability is too poor."

Wu Yu did not think much of it and continued onward.

The dark, skinny young man hurriedly followed, smiling as he asked, "So, did you get it?"

"I got it."

Wu Yu nodded.

"Impressive!"

The dark, skinny young man revealed an envious look.

"That's great. You were able to get a high-level investment! My family practically sold everything they had just to scrape together five million for me to buy an earth spirit root."

"An earth spirit root isn't bad either. At least it's better than your original one."

Wu Yu said.

"The gap between an earth spirit root and a heavenly spirit root is far too huge!"

The dark, skinny young man was named Chen Feng, Wu Yu's former roommate at the academy.

Likewise, they had both chosen the Immortal Cultivator path and joined the [Spirit Cultivation Association].

Unlike Wu Yu, Chen Feng's family ran a business, and they were fairly well-off.

"My parents insisted on buying [Nine Dragons' Might], saying martial arts are the future and that Immortal Cultivators have long since fallen behind."

"How could practicing martial arts compare to cultivating immortality? I'm not becoming a martial artist!"

Not long afterward, the two arrived before a teaching building.

When they reached the third floor, Wu Yu cut off Chen Feng, who had been chattering all the way, pushed open a door, and entered a tiered classroom.

This was a cultivation room of the [Spirit Cultivation Association], and quite a few people inside were already cultivating bitterly.

Some floated into the air, spiritual power rippling around their bodies.

Some quietly read books, spiritual light flickering between their brows.

Some controlled magical artifacts—gourds, small cauldrons, and flying swords danced and spun around them.

Reaching a corner, Wu Yu slowly sat down and set down the box and his other belongings.

Chen Feng sat beside him, happily scrolling through short videos. A voice drifted from one of them.

"At eight in the morning! Thugs robbed Spirit Mountain Technology's new medicine. The Inspection Bureau has issued a citywide wanted notice..."