The world was vast

"Mr. Su was a man of many talents. In just twenty years, he trained all kinds of capable people. You could say that, in the beginning, almost everyone around His Majesty An Qi came from Dao-Seeking Academy."

"That lasted until Yuan Dehai, the Great Xia War God, appeared. Yuan Dehai came from the Martial Saint Academy Main Institute in the Central Divine Continent. The Central Divine Continent is the heart of this world, incomparably prosperous, with martial cultivation flourishing. They say there are Great Emperor Realm experts there who can shatter the void. With a wave of their hands, even the void itself is annihilated."

"Legend has it that there are also Ninth-Rank Alchemists there who can refine the Emperor-Rank Nine-Turn Golden Pill. When a Nine-Turn Golden Pill emerges, a heavenly tribulation descends from the skies. Just thinking about it fills one with longing!"

"Sadly, even if I spent my entire life trying, I could never imagine such a sight." Duanmu Wenshan's face was filled with yearning.

Xia Yu remained silent, thinking, If I told you that I had a recipe for the Nine-Turn Golden Pill right here in my mind, would it scare you to death?

Still, even if I gave you the recipe, all you could do would be look at it.

Xia Yu did not recognize a single ingredient in the recipe. He had never even heard of them.

But merely looking at the ages of the ingredients left him speechless.

Ten-thousand-year heartlink grass, hundred-thousand-year purpleflame white fruit...

"I've wandered off topic..."

Duanmu Wenshan smiled and said, "Our world has nine continents in all. Apart from the Central Divine Continent at its very center, there are the Four Divine Regions surrounding it: the Eastern Divine Region, the Southern Divine Region, the Western Divine Region, and the Northern Divine Region."

"On the outermost edge are the Four Polar Wastelands: the Eastern Polar Wasteland, the Southern Polar Wasteland, the Western Polar Wasteland, and the Northern Polar Wasteland."

"We belong to the Eastern Polar Wasteland. The Great Xia Dynasty's lands lie at its westernmost end. Its territory is small, and it isn't very powerful."

"The world is vast!"

At this point, Duanmu Wenshan sighed, then continued, "Back when Yuan Dehai appeared, His Majesty An Qi was at a crossroads between survival and destruction."

"The preceding Great Zhou Dynasty still had five hundred thousand soldiers at the time. His Majesty An Qi had been defeated and had retreated into this Capital City."

"The Great Liang Dynasty and the Great Yu Dynasty, which now border the Great Xia Dynasty, sent troops at the same time. They were soon going to reach the Capital City."

"Just as His Majesty An Qi was preparing to fight to the death, Yuan Dehai appeared. He was an inner disciple of the Martial Saint Main Academy at the time. With his followers, he directly killed the Great Zhou Dynasty's emperor and supreme military commander. His Majesty An Qi immediately marched out to battle, and the Great Zhou Dynasty suffered a crushing defeat and retreated."

"When the Great Liang and Great Yu Dynasties heard the news and learned that Yuan Dehai belonged to the Martial Saint Main Academy, they immediately withdrew."

"Yuan Dehai then established a branch of the Martial Saint Academy on Martial Saint Mountain, specializing in cultivation."

"Later, His Majesty An Qi grew concerned that Wendao Academy would become the sole dominant power, so he suppressed it and supported the Martial Saint Academy."

"Gradually, Wendao Academy and the Martial Saint Academy became mortal enemies. Under the combined suppression of the imperial family and the Martial Saint Academy, Wendao Academy fell into decline after only a hundred years. By now, it has few disciples left."

Xia Yu remained silent.

At that moment, he was shaken to his very core.

There was simply too much information!

He had originally thought Huai City was quite large, but after coming to the Capital City, Huai City seemed like a savage wilderness.

After all that, the Great Xia Dynasty itself was nothing more than a savage wilderness within a savage wilderness.

This...

The sheer size of the world was beyond his imagination!

It completely surpassed everything he knew.

An indescribably strange feeling came over him.

Between heaven and earth, humans were so insignificant!

Only after a long while did he let out a deep breath.

Stop thinking about all that. Live well in the present.

The most urgent thing now was to resolve his older sister's condition.

As the saying went, a horse could run itself to death reaching a mountain in sight. A full two hours passed before the three of them reached the foot of Martial Saint Mountain.

At that moment, crowds thronged the foot of Martial Saint Mountain.

There were youths in splendid clothes on spirited mounts, riding demonic beasts proudly forward with servants following behind them.

There were youths in plain cloth clothes, weapons strapped to their backs, their expressions cold and their steps firm.

There were also groups traveling together, their faces full of excitement and their eyes filled with longing for a wonderful life.

There were beautiful young women as well, wearing veils and carrying longswords as they walked forward in silence.

Young people of every description came from all directions, making their way swiftly up Martial Saint Mountain.

Duanmu Wenshan's eyes lit up. "Surely it can't be such a coincidence? Today is Martial Saint Mountain's annual recruitment day."

Xia Yu froze. No way?

Just then, a voice sounded beside him.

"Brother, are you here to join the Martial Saint Academy too?"

Xia Yu turned and saw a young man with a broad smile.

"The moment I saw you, brother, I could tell you stood as handsome as a jade tree in the wind, with an extraordinary bearing. You must be a peerless genius. You're certain to enter the Martial Saint Academy this time..."

Xia Yu blinked. You can even tell that?

"Brother, let me tell you, there are actually plenty of tricks to joining the Martial Saint Academy." The young man suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "The Martial Saint Academy has an outer sect. Only elite outer disciples who catch an inner elder's eye can enter the inner sect. Above the inner disciples are the legacy disciples."

"Let me tell you, only when you become a legacy disciple will the inner elders take you as their apprentice and teach you the true martial arts of the Martial Saint Academy."

"But every outer elder and inner elder has a different personality, different preferences, and a different specialty. If you're joining the Martial Saint Academy, brother, you must get all this straight. It'll let you achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"And knowing the contents of the examination beforehand would also be a great help to you."

"The first time I laid eyes on you, brother, I felt we were brought together by fate. I have a Martial Saint Academy examination guide here. I'll sell it to you cheaply-just a hundred gold coins."

Xia Yu did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had never expected to encounter something like this right outside the Martial Saint Academy.

"Since you say I'm a peerless genius, I don't need a guide. My talent alone will make the Martial Saint Academy beg me to join."

Xia Yu said it with a smile.

The man paused, then gave him a thumbs-up and said with a smile, "Brother, you're badass! I also have information on all the outer elders' preferences and specialties. Since you're so confident, I'll sell it to you for fifty gold coins!"

"Since the Martial Saint Academy will be begging me to join, the outer elders will naturally have to watch my mood. I don't need to know their preferences," Xia Yu said calmly.

The man stared blankly for a while, then nodded vigorously. "You're right, brother. I also have information on the inner elders. I'll sell it to you for thirty gold coins!"

"If I'm that outstanding in the outer sect, then naturally my talent will be unrivaled in the inner sect too! The inner elders will also have to watch my mood. I still don't need that."

Xia Yu wore a smile, his face brimming with pride.

The man was utterly dumbfounded!

"This is the first time I've ever seen such a shameless bumpkin! You win!"

With that, the man turned and left.

Xia Yu shook his head slightly, while Xia Yao pressed her lips together, unable to stop smiling.

Beside them, Duanmu Wenshan was a little bewildered. This was the first time he had seen Xia Yu act this way.

In his impression, Xia Yu had always been somewhat rash.

How could he have known that Xia Yu had always lived under tremendous strain, desperately struggling?

Now that they had reached the Capital City and there was hope for his older sister's illness, he had relaxed considerably.

This was the real Xia Yu!

Following the crowd, Xia Yu and the others finally reached the entrance to the Martial Saint Academy.

Looking at the dense sea of people, Xia Yu was speechless. How are we supposed to get in?

Suddenly, Xia Yu's expression changed. He turned his head, and his eyes instantly reddened.

At that moment, half of Xia Yao's body was burning hot, while the other half was icy cold.

This episode was clearly much more violent than any before it.

Ice crystals formed on one half of Xia Yao's head, while wisps of bluish smoke rose from the other.