Martial?

"Hey, what did you do last night? Why was Sister Qingxuan chasing after you with a spear just now?" Wu Yingying asked, eyeing Yun Mo suspiciously.

"What could I have done? She sobered up and went back on her word, that's all. Anyway, aren't you going to tell me about your Martial Spirit Academy?" There were traces of blood on Yun Mo's tongue, but it was nothing serious. If he wanted, a slight circulation of spiritual energy would heal it.

They had already passed through the teleportation array constructed by the Mirror of Judgment and were now aboard a skyship bound for the Martial Spirit Academy. Leading them were the academy's dean, the Martial Heavenly King, and its elders.

"Hmph, won't you see for yourself once we get there? You've never even seen the place, so anything I tell you would be wasted breath."

"Uh... the Martial Spirit Academy is actually quite impressive. It has a martial spirit passed down from the Martial Realm in the Great Thousand World." Wu Ling glanced at Wu Yingying and decided to introduce it himself.

"The Martial Realm? A martial spirit? Don't tell me your... our Martial Spirit Academy has some connection to the Martial Realm." For the first time, Yun Mo and Qing He were taken aback. They stared at Wu Ling as though to say, I haven't read many books, so don't try to fool me.

"Now you're really letting your imaginations run wild. There are only rumors that our Martial Spirit Academy has some ties to the Martial Realm.

"Look, that tallest tower in the Martial Spirit Academy. They say the Martial Ancestor left it behind several hundred years ago, after arriving from a Lower Plane and gaining enlightenment here. It contains his invincible will, which took the form of a tower when it manifested."

Everyone stood aboard the skyship. As they approached the Martial Spirit Academy, the first thing that greeted their eyes was its vast, boundless expanse.

The most dazzling sight was a treasured pagoda standing at its very center. Magnificent and imposing, it soared into the clouds. Even from such a great distance, they could sense the profound essence it radiated.

"Isn't that even more outrageous? I thought you might have had a few dealings with the Martial Realm at most, but you actually..." Even Qing He's expression went slack.

"Of course, that's only a rumor passed down by the higher-ups. Still, it does let our Martial Spirit Academy rest easy on the Martial Dao Continent. And the Martial Realm's martial ethos really is highly revered in our academy. The Ancestral Spirit Stones unique to the Martial Realm can also be seen quite often on the Martial Dao Continent."

"Ancestral Spirit Stones?" Qing He was puzzled. He had never encountered them before.

"Ancestral Spirit Stones contain an incredibly profound power. They can temper your Divine Soul and develop your martial arts. The most formidable ones can even help you comprehend the laws of heaven and earth," Wu Ling explained.

He had encountered some Ancestral Spirit Stones before and had even tried using them. His strength had been too low back then, however, so they had shown no response whatsoever.

In fact, as a product unique to the Martial Realm, Ancestral Spirit Stones were also very popular on some continents in the Great Thousand World. Moreover, they had the remarkable ability to suppress the Extraterritorial Evil Clan, which earned them the esteem of even some truly mighty experts.

"Then can we use them? Or can we exchange for them at the Martial Spirit Academy?" Qing He swallowed and asked in a dry voice.

"Yes. The Martial Spirit Academy naturally has its own trade channels. But according to the academy's elders, we need to reach at least the Heaven-reaching Realm before we can properly connect with Ancestral Spirit Stones and cultivate with them."

"Heh... heh. Looks like coming to the Martial Spirit Academy really was the right choice..." Yun Mo's scalp tingled. The Great Thousand World was far too vast. No one knew what reserves those very greatest powers possessed.

"Then is our Martial Spirit Academy very far from the Martial Realm?" Qing He continued.

"It is. After all, the Martial Realm stands at the very edge of the Great Thousand World. To reach it, you would have to cross who knows how many continents. Without sufficient strength, that would be nothing but a road to death."

An old man from the Martial Spirit Academy sighed beside them.

"This is Elder Wu Ji. We usually call him Elder Ji. You can seek him out whenever you need help with your cultivation," Wu Ling introduced him quickly in a low voice.

"Wu Ling, I can hear you. And you, little girl, aren't you going to greet me?" Elder Wu Ji stroked his white beard, nodded to Yun Mo and the others, and smiled.

"Elder Ji." Yun Mo and the others naturally did not neglect the proper courtesies.

"Hmph, I'm not a little girl anymore, all right? I'm a Heaven Fusion Peak expert now. I'll surpass you before long," Wu Yingying said, wrinkling her nose.

"Hmph, you naughty girl. You've grown a little, but you're still just as unruly. No matter, though. Elder Ling Yi has already returned to the academy. She'll teach you your manners all over again," Elder Wu Ji said with a broad smile.

"Ling..." Wu Yingying's face went deathly pale. She edged behind Wu Ling, all her willfulness vanishing.

"Who is Elder Ling Yi?" Yun Mo and Qing He exchanged questioning glances.

"Elder Ling Yi has been her master since childhood. She left several years ago to seek an opportunity for a breakthrough, which is why Yingying has become such a wild girl. But now that Elder Ling Yi has returned, it means she's made that breakthrough and reached a very high level. She'll probably give Yingying a thorough schooling."

Wu Ling smiled as well. He had been completely helpless when it came to Wu Yingying, but now someone could finally keep her in line.

Even Yun Mo and Qing He could not suppress their smiles as they looked at Wu Yingying's pale little face.

"What do you think of the Martial Spirit Academy, where you'll be staying from now on? To be honest, I never imagined the Spirit Road would produce youngsters with such terrifying talent. The Heaven Transformation Realm... even Wu Ling and that little girl have undergone unimaginable transformations. Is the Spirit Road really that miraculous?"

"The Martial Spirit Academy is excellent, of course. We're both looking forward to cultivating here," Yun Mo and Qing He said frankly after exchanging a glance.

They were still flying high in the sky, yet even from here they could feel the Martial Spirit Academy's deep reserves. It was as though an immensely fierce fighting spirit filled those endless academy buildings, their martial aura surging through heaven and earth.

That convinced Yun Mo that the Martial Spirit Academy definitely had more than one Earthly Sovereign.

"Likewise, we look forward to seeing you grow within the Martial Spirit Academy. We hope that one day, word of your fame in the Great Thousand World will reach us here, so we can erect everlasting statues in your honor." At that moment, even the dean, the Martial Heavenly King, turned to Yun Mo and the others with a smile.

This was Yun Mo's first time seeing Dean Tianwang at such close quarters.

He was imposing, his features striking and heroic. Beneath his azure robes, his proud, unyielding frame seemed to harbor an unfathomable power. Even heaven and earth could not crush his upright bearing.

Looking very closely

at him, one could see that his hands were covered in marks left by years of wielding weapons. Those were the medals of his achievements.

"We will!" Wu Ling and Qing He exchanged a glance and declared, as though a conviction capable of shaking heaven and earth had ignited within them.

"Good. We'll be waiting." The other elders' eyes also held relief and pride. In the Great Thousand World, an indomitable will mattered most. That unbending spirit was something they had forged after the Extraterritorial Evil Clan's invasion.

"Students joining the Martial Spirit Academy, you will stay in the academy's outer grounds while you wait for the students selected through the Five Great Academies to arrive. You will then take part in the academy's trials alongside them.

"During this time, as outstanding talents who emerged from the Spirit Road, you will have opportunities ahead of the others. The Spirit Arts, Divine Arts, and other resources in the outer grounds will be yours to use freely. Some elders will also provide instruction. If you have any questions, you may seek them out directly."

Elder Wu Ji nodded as well, then turned toward the other students and spoke.

"Of course, these four are exceptions. They do not need to remain in the outer grounds. But you can earn the same privilege. As long as you raise your cultivation to Heaven Fusion Peak, or possess strength equivalent to Heaven Fusion Peak, you may enter the academy's inner grounds directly.

"When the day of the trials arrives, you will only need to take a brief part in the new students' trials."