A Small Goal

Light flashed before their eyes.

When they came to their senses, the three of them stood inside a hall so vast it defied imagination.

The hall towered overhead, its vaulted ceiling lost in a hazy glow, with no end in sight. Figures appeared one after another, surveying their surroundings curiously and murmuring to companions they knew.

An aged figure slowly materialized, turning from illusion to flesh.

He was no stranger to them. He was precisely the figure of light on the Reception Platform who had guided them into the Northern Cang Realm.

Only now, he had appeared in person.

Divine Soul Tribulation.

Mu Chen's gaze fell on the White-Haired Elder, and he saw through his cultivation in an instant.

In the Northern Spiritual Realm, this would have made him a top-tier powerhouse, but to Mu Chen... he posed not the slightest pressure.

"Hehe, little ones."

"Congratulations on passing the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy's trials and successfully reaching this place."

"I am the guide for this year's Northern Cang Realm, and I will also lead you into the true Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy." The White-Haired Elder smiled faintly, his voice unhurried.

He paused briefly, giving the youngsters below time to absorb his words and revel in their excitement, before continuing, "As is customary, everyone who passes the Northern Cang Realm's trial will receive an initial reward from the academy, as recognition of your performance."

As his words fell, the elder flicked his sleeve.

"Humm-"

In an instant, the marks on the foreheads of every boy and girl in the hall flashed in unison, regardless of their level. They then descended, transforming into a clear crystal token in each person's hand.

Mu Chen lowered his eyes. A number appeared clearly on the token's surface:

Five thousand.

The same number appeared on the Spirit Value Tokens in Luo Li's and Tang Qian'er's hands.

"This is a Spirit Value Token..." The White-Haired Elder explained the uses of Spirit Value. In short, it was the currency used for access and transactions within the academy.

"Then when can we enter the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy?" someone asked impatiently.

They had long yearned for the true Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.

"Under the normal procedure, you would already qualify at this point."

The White-Haired Elder smiled faintly. "However, there is still one more hurdle. This is not for everyone, only students who obtained a level 7 mark or higher."

"This test is not compulsory. You may choose to forgo it without losing anything. However..." His tone shifted. "Everyone who passes will receive an additional five thousand Spirit Value."

"The test takes the form of a challenge, except your opponents will be senior students of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy."

The elder spoke with a smile, then turned his gaze toward Mu Chen.

"Ah, you're Mu Chen, aren't you? Since you've already reached the Heaven Reaching Realm, you needn't take part in this round. You'll pass directly and receive the reward as usual. The same goes for your two companions."

A small uproar rose from the crowd, but then they remembered Mu Chen's unfathomable strength and immediately fell silent, raising no further objections.

Mu Chen watched a few bouts of weaklings pecking at one another with interest, casually offering Tang Qian'er some pointers through the fights.

"All right, every challenge is over. Next..."

The White Elder smiled faintly and waved his sleeve. The air behind him warped, and amid a surge of light, a Bronze Giant Gate hundreds of yards tall appeared out of thin air, then slowly opened.

"The Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy welcomes you all."

They stepped through the Bronze Giant Gate and underwent a brief spatial transfer. When they appeared again, they stood on a stone platform nearly ten thousand yards across.

They looked ahead, and a majestic, magnificent vista swept into view.

It was a vast land with no end in sight.

Countless enormous cultivation halls dotted the land like stars across the heavens and pieces on a chessboard. Mountains crisscrossed it, and waterfalls like silver rivers occasionally cascaded down, stirring grand, surging waves amid the lush greenery.

The scene before them was so imposing that even the ten-thousand-yard stone platform beneath their feet seemed tiny by comparison.

Figures swept across the skies within the academy in overwhelming numbers. In the distant training grounds, people darted back and forth as powerful spiritual energy clashed, sending out one dull boom after another.

Amid that endless, majestic vista, the most eye-catching sight was an unusually shaped mountain at its center.

Its shape was distinctive, like a divine bird spreading its wings to take flight. An indescribable pressure emanated from the bird-shaped mountain, enveloping the entire world around it.

Even more striking were the two stone steles, each nearly ten thousand yards tall, borne upon the giant bird mountain's wings.

Light flowed across their surfaces, shining brilliantly, as though they could be seen clearly from anywhere in the academy.

Mu Chen looked toward the enormous stone stele on the left wing. Golden light gathered at its top, forming three grand characters:

Divine Soul Ranking.

He calmly shifted his gaze away.

With his Heaven Reaching Realm cultivation, competing on the Divine Soul Ranking would be rather like bullying people. Better to look at the Heaven Ranking instead.

First, I'll set a small goal: take first place on the Heaven Ranking and quickly accumulate Spirit Value, so I can exchange it for Bei Ming Dragon Kun's blood essence for Nine Nether.

"Ahem."

Noticing where Mu Chen was looking, the White Elder coughed twice and said, "Mu Chen, you needn't attend the Freshman Assembly in a month's time, either. Your rewards will be converted into Spirit Value and issued to you directly..."

"As for the Heaven Ranking, the dean has given his word. You're free to challenge it as you please!"

Somewhere that resembled an immortal paradise.

The sky was a spotless blue, with white clouds drifting leisurely across it. A faint mist floated between heaven and earth. It was peculiar mist, never dispersing, only swaying gently with the breeze.

Occasionally, familiar yet strange fluctuations emanated from it. This floating mist was actually formed from the spiritual aura of heaven and earth!

This place lay in the deepest reaches of one of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy's mere ten level 7 spirit gathering arrays.

Beneath a cascading waterfall, an enormous blue-green rock protruded from the water.

A slender figure sat quietly cross-legged upon the rock, a suction force emanating from his body and drawing all the drifting mist of spiritual aura into him.

He was Li Xuantong, second on the Heaven Ranking.

A streak of light shot over from the distant horizon and landed on the blue-green rock a few breaths later. The newcomer was a Black-Clothed Youth.

"Something huge has happened! There's a complete monster among this year's freshmen. He was already in the Heaven Reaching Realm when he entered the academy!"

"That guy's called Mu Chen. The moment he arrived, he wanted to challenge the Heaven Ranking and specifically called out Shen Cangsheng. Since Shen Cangsheng isn't at the academy, he's set his sights on you!"

"They say the elders even gave him special privileges to challenge anyone he likes. Now they're just waiting for your response..."

"?"

Li Xuantong opened his eyes, his face full of confusion. He wondered whether he had misheard.

After all, he was only in the Heaven Transformation Realm himself!

"Ah, this Mu Chen really is life's big winner. Not only is his talent monstrous, but he also has two beauties by his side, both so gorgeous it's absurd!"

The Black-Clothed Youth rambled on.

"One's called Tang Qian'er, and the other's Luo Li. Apparently there's also someone called Wen Qingxuan who's tangled up with him..."

Before he finished speaking, he noticed something was amiss.

Li Xuantong, who had looked listless and somewhat weary of it all just moments ago, seemed to stiffen for an instant.

Then he slowly turned his head, hesitated, and asked in a low voice:

"...Who?"

The Black-Clothed Youth froze, then repeated the three names.

When he mentioned Luo Li in particular, he clearly saw the corners of the young man's mouth twitch slightly, as though he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

"Luo Li?"

Li Xuantong slowly turned his head away, looking toward the hazy spirit mist beyond the waterfall. His voice was as soft as a murmur to himself, tinged with dazed disbelief.

"...Why would she come to the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy?"