Spiritual Energy Empowerment

"At last, it's here. Spiritual Energy Empowerment, and the Five Great Academies..." Someone stood outside their courtyard, listening to the lingering toll of the bell, their heart surging.

Someone else, with features as lovely as a painting, gazed up at the sky. Anticipation shone on their face, and they made up their mind.

Yun Mo and the others stood in their courtyard, smiles appearing on their faces as well.

"Let's go. It's time to enjoy the fruits of our efforts."

"Then let's hurry. This time, I'm going to leave those old men from the Martial Spirit Academy staring with their jaws on the floor."

When Yun Mo and his companions reached the deepest part of the Spirit Road, all the trial participants had already gathered there. They craned their necks in anticipation, gazing at a curtain of light before them.

Clearly, the curtain of light had sealed this place off.

Beneath their feet lay the Spirit Road, while ahead of them lay the true Great Thousand World.

Hum...

At that moment, faint ripples appeared across the curtain of light. It weakened and gradually began to dissolve. Everyone who saw this drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and passed through it.

The moment they returned to the Great Thousand World, that familiar sensation washed over them.

Outside, the first thing that greeted their eyes was an illusory Nine-Tier Platform. In the void above, a mysterious aura seemed to descend slowly, enveloping it.

Then imposing figures appeared beside the platform. They restrained their overwhelming presence, faint smiles appearing on their faces.

The man at the center looked at the excited boys and girls emerging from the Spirit Road and spoke with a smile, his voice gentle yet commanding:

"Very good. You've truly done very well. Through the Mirror of Judgment, we observed some students' experiences on the Spirit Road, and we couldn't help but marvel. You deserve to be called the true favored children of heaven. The Five Great Academies have thrown their doors wide open to you.

"You already know what comes next. Everyone who has made it here will receive the Spirit Road's final empowerment, but it depends on the Tokens you hold. A level-one Token grants one Spiritual Energy Empowerment, while a Level-Nine Token grants nine.

"At the same time, the evaluations given by the Five Great Academies to those holding Level-Nine Tokens will undergo a qualitative change. Every one of them has the potential to be crowned a 'King.'"

The potential to be a King. Those words sent most of the students into an uproar. This was practically the highest honor the Spirit Road could offer.

It could be said that, once they entered the Five Great Academies, anyone judged to possess the potential of a King would undoubtedly draw their academy's attention.

No wonder the requirements for obtaining a Level-Nine Token were so demanding. They simply did not know who would earn the evaluation of King on this journey through the Spirit Road.

"Heh, you all look as though you can't wait any longer, so we won't waste any more words. Each tier of this Nine-Tier Platform corresponds to a Token level. Level one corresponds to the first tier. Take your places."

Dean Tian Sheng of the Sacred Spirit Academy pointed a finger, and the illusory platform manifested fully in the world.

As the students watched this wondrous display, awe and yearning filled their eyes. After hearing Dean Tian Sheng's words, they made their Tokens shine with red light and landed in their allotted places.

Of the nine Token levels, almost no one held one of the lowest three. Anyone who had reached the final stage of the Spirit Road, apart from those at the very top, would have left themselves some insurance.

Keeping a Token above level five hidden on their person was perfectly normal.

Thus, even the lowest-level Tokens held by those here were level five or higher.

Among them, Level Seven Tokens accounted for the vast majority, while level-five Tokens were comparatively rare.

"Let's take our places too."

Yun Mo smiled at his companions, then stepped forward. The most dazzling crimson light blazed from him as he landed on the platform's ninth tier.

Wu Ling and the other three did not hesitate either. Crimson light shone from them as they followed Yun Mo, landing on the platform one after another.

Five holders of Level-Nine Tokens appeared in succession. Their radiance formed the most brilliant sight of all, like five stars aligned. The spectacle drew almost everyone's gaze, leaving them shaken.

"Incredible! Five Level-Nine Tokens appeared at once. That means five people who could be crowned Kings."

"Who are they? They're so dazzling!"

"Damn, it's those four freaks. Now there's another one with them."

Clearly, some of those who had previously traveled alongside Yun Mo and his companions had spotted them.

"I told you, those people had to be among the very best on the Spirit Road. I lost to them and still came out fine. I'm definitely one of a kind."

"Oh, give it a rest. Your legs were shaking like crazy when you faced them, and now you're shamelessly bragging about it."

After leaving the Spirit Road, some people relaxed. They might even end up attending the same academy, and their relationships had eased considerably.

Of course, others furrowed their brows in confusion.

"Those figures look familiar. Could they be those three bastards?" Qiu Beihai was also on the Nine-Tier Platform, staring fixedly at Yun Mo and his companions.

"I'm not sure. Damn it, their auras were concealed back then. We'd better exchange blows with them before drawing any firm conclusions!" Ferocity gleamed in Liu Qingyun's eyes as well.

They and Ji Xuan had not merely had their fortuitous opportunities stolen. Qiu Beihai had even lost a hand. Although Ji Xuan had discovered some more opportunities afterward, they had etched those three people deep into their hearts.

"After the empowerment, we'll go test them together!" Qiu Beihai ground his teeth. With the opportunity Ji Xuan had given him, he was confident he could push his cultivation into the Heaven Fusion Realm.

Beside them, Ji Xuan shifted his gaze away from Luo Li and stared at Yun Mo and his companions as well, his expression cold. If those really were the people responsible, they would surely bring out the Spirit Jade shortly.

"Are they the four whom even the Mirror of Judgment failed to observe earlier?" the dean of the Azure Heavens Spiritual Academy asked with a smile.

"They should be. Their foundations are all exceptionally solid. The boy leading them is called Yun Mo, isn't he?" said Dean Taicang of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.

Dean Tian Sheng of the Sacred Spirit Academy watched somewhat coldly from the sidelines. When Yun Mo and the other two had stolen Ji Xuan's opportunity, the deans had witnessed the entire process.

Meanwhile, Dean Tang Qiu of the Ten Thousand Phoenix Academy and Dean Tianwang of the Martial Spirit Academy both wore faint smiles.

"All right. Since every student has taken their place, let's begin." Dean Tian Sheng glanced at the Mirror of Judgment in the void and spoke flatly.

...Dong.

Another toll of the bell rang out. At that moment, the students, including Yun Mo and his companions, all raised their heads to look into the void.

They clearly sensed that

vast and ancient aura. It belonged to the supreme divine artifact jointly controlled by the Five Great Academies-the Mirror of Judgment.

Rumble!

Streams of light descended from the heavens, each one an incomparably immense flow of refined spiritual energy. Upon closer inspection, one could discover that this spiritual energy had actually been condensed from pure supreme spirit liquid combined with the essences of countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, through the unique mysteries of the Mirror of Judgment.

Only this could allow the students to raise their cultivation to an astonishing level without paying any price.

Of course, this was also inseparable from the trials the students had undergone on the Spirit Road. Those experiences had allowed their mental states to keep pace.

Perhaps this was the mystery of cause and effect. Perhaps the results each person received now were the accumulation of everything they had done on the Spirit Road.

Sensing that pure spiritual energy, everyone on the platform wasted no more time. They sat cross-legged, circulated their respective cultivation methods to the fullest, and drew the spiritual energy into their bodies.

"Bastards! It really is those three!"