Where Was I Supposed to Sleep?

Night fell.

Wu Ling and the others had not left. Instead, they gathered around a campfire, eating Spirit Beasts caught elsewhere and drinking Yun Mo's homemade fruit wine, until vitality practically steamed from their bodies.

"I have to admit, Captain Yun Mo's cooking is pretty good. Just a little better than mine." Wu Yingying narrowed her eyes slightly. The tender texture and faintly sweet, spicy flavor in her mouth suited her tastes perfectly.

"Just eat. A little better than yours? I'd call it a success if you managed not to poison us," Wu Ling quipped.

Clearly, Wu Ling had eaten Wu Yingying's cooking before, and he had found it almost impossible to swallow.

It was hard to imagine. The quality of Spirit Beast meat was far beyond that of ordinary wild beasts, yet Wu Yingying could somehow turn it into poison. That really was an extraordinary talent.

When they were little, Wu Ling had suffered at her hands plenty of times.

"Hmph, at least it tastes better than yours." Wu Yingying shot him a sidelong glare.

Yun Mo took a sip of fruit wine and asked, "How many days was I unconscious?"

"Not that many, I think. Only Qingxuan knows some of the details. I thought you two were still inside the temple, so I stood outside like an idiot for who knows how long. It was the old man there who finally told me you'd come here."

As Wu Yingying spoke, she remembered something and could not help complaining to Yun Mo.

"It was an accident. How was I supposed to know something like that would happen inside the temple? All I can say is that the Five Great Academies really did just refine the Spirit Road a little and then leave it alone. Anyway, what sort of Divine Arts did you get? Why don't you show me? I can help you take a look," Yun Mo said with a smile.

"Just an ordinary Divine Art. Almost everyone got something similar, though mine seems pretty decent. It suits me quite well."

Wu Yingying took out a crystal-clear jade slip and handed it to Yun Mo, continuing, "Unfortunately, even with a Divine Art, all we can do now is study it in our minds. We still can't actually cultivate it on the Spirit Road.

"But it seems the Spiritual Energy Empowerment is coming soon. We'll finally be able to leave this place then."

Yun Mo accepted the jade slip, glanced at it, then tossed it back to her. "Spiritual Energy Empowerment? Isn't there also an evaluation by the Five Great Academies afterward?"

"Yes. According to the rules sent through the Tokens earlier, there's some sort of evaluation by the Five Great Academies after the Spiritual Energy Empowerment. Then they apparently test the results of our trial, and finally we choose which Spirit Academy to attend." Qing He took out his blood-red Token and read the earlier message.

"The Five Great Academies' evaluation... going by past practice, that should mean the so-called 'King' rating. But it's just an empty title. Every rating has its own tiers, and even if some people receive a 'King' rating, I don't think it does much good. If they start getting complacent afterward, it becomes a bad thing instead."

With his mouth stuffed full of meat, Wu Ling recalled the people he had seen at the Martial Spirit Academy and shook his head.

There were all too many people with a "King" rating who had been caught up to and left in the dust by other prodigies.

To Wu Ling, judging someone's talent by a single rating was far too frivolous. Those who had not received a "King" rating could still accomplish great things in the future.

"Your view is a little skewed. Everyone has their own opportunities. At the very least, those who receive a 'King' rating have exceptional talent and mental fortitude. Besides, few people who fight their way through the Spirit Road are ordinary.

"This experience has clearly given them a perspective far beyond that of their peers."

Qing He offered his own view.

In some people's minds, Spiritual Energy Empowerment certainly mattered, but the most important thing was probably the experience itself. Undergoing the Spirit Road's trial at their age brought considerable growth in mental fortitude.

Of course, those who grew complacent afterward were an exception.

"I can't argue with that. This experience really does help you understand the world better." Wu Ling felt that deeply as well.

During their earlier cooperation, Wu Ling and Qing He had often held discussions like this. To them, the clash of ideas was another form of cultivation.

"So, do you think you can get that 'King' rating?" Yun Mo asked with a smile.

"Isn't that the easiest part? I think we should be considering the test afterward." Wu Yingying clenched her fists, brimming with confidence.

"The test? How will the Five Great Academies test us?" Yun Mo asked.

"Probably through matches. They'll have the people with 'King' ratings compete after receiving the empowerment."

"Then does that mean all five of us will have to appear up there, and might even face each other?"

Qing He glanced at Yun Mo and Wen Qingxuan. He felt there was no point in competing anymore. It would be a complete waste of time.

"Uh... that's actually up to you. If you don't feel confident, you can just skip it and watch everyone else." Wu Ling paused as well.

What was the point of competing when the result was already known? He immediately lost all interest in taking part.

"Actually, getting up there and exchanging moves with other people wouldn't be bad. There are plenty of geniuses on the Spirit Road. There should be at least twenty people with 'King' ratings, right? Some of them are very strong," Yun Mo said with a smile.

"Then are you going to compete?" Wen Qingxuan sat beside Yun Mo, drinking fruit wine as she smiled at him. Yet that smile sent a chill down his spine.

He really did think she was unsuited to drinking. She might end up acting out again, unable even to walk steadily.

"I'll pass. After the Spiritual Energy Empowerment... I'll just watch you all perform from below. Still, there are a few people you should watch out for."

"Yes, Ji Xuan and some of his followers are all pretty strong. Luo Li is too. After the Spiritual Energy Empowerment, they'll probably all be at least in the Heaven Fusion Realm," Qing He said.

"Ji Xuan? We robbed them before and got several pieces of Spirit Jade," Wu Yingying said with a laugh.

"...Speaking of Spirit Jade, I almost forgot to give you yours. With this, you should be able to climb another level during the empowerment." Yun Mo handed the Spirit Jade to the others.

"Now that you've given us this, I really won't want to compete against those people."

Wu Ling smiled wryly. With the Spirit Jade, he was confident he could push his cultivation to the peak of the Heaven Fusion Realm. Across the entire Spirit Road, how many people would reach that level after the empowerment?

What fun was there in crushing people with a higher cultivation realm?

"I suspect Ji Xuan might have had some other opportunities. If you're itching for a fight then, you can specifically challenge him or some of his followers. He's probably the only

"one who can fight you."

"We'll see when the time comes..."

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Wu Ling and the other two glanced at the pitch-black night sky, said a word to Yun Mo, and returned to their own courtyards.

Here, almost everyone could exchange their Token for a courtyard. That could be considered one of the privileges the Five Great Academies offered their students.

After tidying the courtyard, Yun Mo turned to look at Wen Qingxuan, who was already slumped over in the pavilion, and shrugged. She had been sitting there perfectly fine a moment ago, only to fall asleep because of the fruit wine.

"I told you already. If you can't drink, don't..." Yun Mo muttered under his breath, walking over and gently carrying her into the room.

When he came back out, Yun Mo stood there blankly. "Why does this courtyard only have one room? Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Dong...

Time flew by. After a stretch of peaceful days, that ancient, resonant bell rang out once more.

The lingering toll seemed to strike directly at the trial participants' hearts, bringing expressions of boundless excitement to their faces.

The final empowerment was coming. The Spirit Road was finally drawing to an end.

The gates of the Five Great Academies had opened to them, and their futures were beckoning.