Southern Mountain of the Western Frontier

After returning home, Huo Kai and the elders gave the family their instructions before sending them away. Huo Hai was once again called aside alone and lectured at length. He was not released until that evening.

Dragging his exhausted body back to his courtyard, Huo Hai let out a long breath. "Finally back. I was almost annoyed to death. I can't tell them too much about the insects either. Honestly, wasn't it just telling me to cultivate properly? Did they really need to lecture me all afternoon?" Huo Hai did not feel physically tired, but mentally, he could no longer bear it.

He had never expected that after being nagged by teachers so often on Earth, he would come to this world only to be nagged even more fiercely.

Huo Hai shook his head and turned his attention back to the insects he had raised earlier. Since the Star Gu beetles had only just hatched that morning, he had not brought them with him. But by now, after digesting a certain amount of herbs and spiritual energy,

Huo Hai discovered that these insects were already fully usable. He tested them with the only mystic-grade dagger in his hand. Even when he chopped down with all his strength, he could only leave a tiny white mark on a Star Gu's body. Even if other experts possessed mystic-grade weapons, unless they infused them with a great deal of spiritual energy, they could forget about harming his Star Gu. There were more than five hundred Star Gu in this batch.

"What method should I use to carry them? Keeping them on my body definitely won't work." Every person who cultivated Gu arts could place Gu Insects inside their body. But at the thought of his body being filled with insects, Huo Hai's scalp went numb.

When he watched it on television, he did not feel much about it, but if it were himself, it was absolutely impossible. Suddenly, Huo Hai noticed that these Star Gu were very small. Though there were five hundred of them, gathered together, they probably would not take up much space.

Gu Insects were merely a supplement, after all. Even if they huddled into a ball, there would be no problem. Thinking of this, Huo Hai issued an order in his mind, controlling the beetles to gather in his hand. Looking at the huge swarm of Star Gu, when they had completely gathered in his palm, they were still not even the size of an egg. Huo Hai smiled slightly. Now he had a way to carry these Star Gu.

He looked around, casually took a rather delicate grass cage, and fastened it at his waist. It looked just like an ornament, though it was not worth much. "Get in. Don't crawl out through the gaps."

Huo Hai gave the order in his mind. Through Little Star, the insect king, the Star Gu easily understood what Huo Hai meant. All the beetles swiftly flew up, darting like meteors. In the blink of an eye, they had entered the grass cage at Huo Hai's waist.

All the Star Gu remained completely still. Unless Huo Hai said so himself, no one would know just how dangerous the thing inside that grass cage was. Huo Hai smiled in satisfaction, casually sent out a stream of spiritual energy to feed the Star Gu, then began practicing his combat techniques. He did not know whether it was because Huo Hai himself was talented, or because of his perfect body tempering.

Huo Hai progressed extremely quickly in practicing these basic combat techniques. Judging purely by his mastery of combat techniques, few people his age could compare to Huo Hai. Even those older than him were inferior.

The only thing he lacked was practical experience. Someone who had never gone through battle would never truly know how to fight, no matter how well they had practiced their combat techniques. These deficiencies could not be made up before the trial.

Huo Hai shook his head, thinking of those people trying to embrace the Buddha's feet at the last minute. They worked desperately hard every day, yet feared being seen by others. Each one shut themselves away and built carts behind closed doors, so Huo Hai had no interest in seeking them out. As for Huo Yuner, she had used the excuse that Huo Hai must not be disturbed, and had been confined for the past few days, forbidden from coming to play with Huo Hai.

After all, Huo Hai had given her that spot. As his younger sister, she did not need to thank him, but she could not cause trouble either. Huo Yuner, who was also diligently cultivating while confined these past few days, was filled with unwillingness and frustration.

Time slowly passed, and in the blink of an eye, five days had gone by. During these five days of registration, even though Huo Hai never stepped outside, he could sense the bustle. Not far from his family's entrance, the place was like a marketplace. Many people had come to register.

Naturally, a large number of those who did not meet the age requirement were eliminated immediately. Of those who did meet it, another large number fell away after testing. But even so, more than three thousand people had registered for this competition.

In truth, every registration held once every ten years drew no fewer people than this one. If this time had not included the trial, let alone three thousand, they might have gathered five thousand people. The trial was no trifling matter; it carried a certain degree of danger. Even if someone died during the trial, as long as no one had evidence, nothing could be done to the others. They might not even find the murderer.

Five days later, it was still the steward who called Huo Hai out. After Huo Hai packed up Little Gold and a large cluster of Star Gu, he followed the steward outside. This time, their destination was still the City Lord's Manor, but not its interior—rather, the area outside it.

The open ground outside the City Lord's Manor was already packed shoulder to shoulder. Most of the many people around were not participating in the trial, but had come to watch.

The time soon arrived, and the examiner suddenly shouted, "Time is up. Everyone taking part in the test, come with me to the Southern Mountain area. The destination of this test is Southern Mountain. Once we arrive, I will explain the rules."

After pausing, the examiner said sinisterly, "Do not blame us for failing to warn you. The area around Southern Mountain has already been sealed off by our people. Anyone without the right to participate who dares enter the Southern Mountain region will be killed on sight. If you do not believe it, feel free to come closer and try. Those inside are not allowed to leave either, or they will die as well."

The examiner's killing intent-filled words thoroughly doused the flames in the hearts of those with petty schemes. Although there were always some lucky fools who acted during every stage of testing, that did not matter.

As long as they dared violate the rules, they would absolutely be killed on the spot. Every year, quite a few people died this way. Thus, whenever a trial site needed to be sealed off, many people with heavy killing intent signed up to participate, and often could not even get a spot.

Southern Mountain was a large mountain south of the Western Wall. It was not especially large, yet it was still not somewhere ordinary people dared enter. Quite a few spirit beasts lived inside. The Southern Mountain region was not far from the Western Frontier either, though it was not at the very southern edge of the Western Frontier.

Setting off from here, the group arrived by noon. By then, Southern Mountain was already surrounded by people. It was difficult to discover where these people were hidden; they were all Imperial City Academy students specially assigned to monitor the surroundings. Every one of them had formidable cultivation. Even the weakest had reached the Spirit Bone Realm, and no one dared make any rash move.

"Alright, this is the trial ground. After entering Southern Mountain, your main goal will be to fight for this." The examiner took out a thin, unknown card. The card was thin, yet extremely tough and difficult to damage.

"These cards are specially made by Imperial City Academy. Each one represents one point. As long as you obtain one hundred points, you can join Imperial City Academy. Many cards have been placed in extremely dangerous locations. If you have the ability, you may also seize them from others. Of course, do not underestimate these cards. After returning to the academy, you can exchange them for items. Whether it is academy pills or Spirit Arts, all require points. This will be your first batch of points after entering the academy."

Huo Hai's eyes suddenly lit up. It seemed that the points needed to obtain Blood Refining Pills were these as well. "May I ask how many points a Blood Refining Pill costs?" Huo Hai suddenly spoke up to ask. No one found it strange; after all, he had already reached the Blood Refining Realm.

The examiner frowned, but when he saw that the one asking was someone he wanted to befriend, perhaps even take in as a subordinate, his expression suddenly improved. "A Body Tempering Pill costs one point, a Blood Refining Pill costs ten points, and a Bone Tempering Pill costs one hundred points. Other pills of the same realm that cannot raise one's cultivation are half price. Is there anything else you wish to ask?"

Huo Hai shook his head, indicating that he had nothing else to ask. It seems one hundred Blood Refining Pills will require one thousand points. No, when I tempered my body, I used two hundred pills. Perhaps there will be some benefit. If possible, then I should obtain two thousand points. If I'm going to do it, I should do it to the very best. An instinctive feeling told Huo Hai that this was definitely right.

Even if he was wrong, he would only be wasting a few things. With the Star Gu assisting him, obtaining two thousand points should be very easy. Huo Hai had no more questions, but the others did.

Seeing the examiner answer Huo Hai's question, everyone assumed he was easy to talk to. They began asking about the prices of the items they wanted, secretly calculating how many points they would need.

Watching them, the examiner sneered inwardly. Hmph, with your kind of thinking, most of you will never pass. If you cannot pass, what use is any of it? Gradually, the examiner grew somewhat annoyed by all their questions.

"Enough nonsense. The time has come, so hurry inside. If you have questions, wait until you pass the test to ask them. You only have half a month—fifteen days. If you cannot emerge from Southern Mountain after fifteen days, you will be considered to have failed. From now on, anyone who does not enter Southern Mountain within ten minutes will all be considered failures." The examiner's words made everyone realize it.

That was right—they had not yet joined Imperial City Academy. The most important thing now was passing the test. Carrying reverence for Imperial City Academy, awe toward the trial, and even vigilance toward those around them, the crowd entered Southern Mountain. First come, first served.

"Hmph. Once we get inside, let's see who can help you then." He Ya stared coldly at Huo Hai, his eyes filled with venomous resentment. He had completely blamed the previous incident on Huo Hai. This trial was the perfect opportunity.

Behind Huo Hai, Huo Yan's eyes were also filled with hatred. The direct line, hmph. I won't be inferior to you. If something happens to you inside, I wonder what will become of the Huo Family's direct line. Will they still be worthy of existing?