"This opening of the Ancient Sacred Academy may see more people qualified to set foot on the path of chaos than any other in decades. I just wonder how many will truly reach the Sacred Academy hidden within the mists of chaos in the end."
Before long, the white-haired, youthful-faced elder returned to the mountaintop at the entrance to the primordial battlefield, murmuring happily to himself as he pondered.
The Heaven Mending Pavilion contained many mysterious places, and the Ancient Sacred Academy was one of them. Auspicious vapors shrouded it year-round, concealing its buildings from sight. Only a path of chaos could be seen stretching toward its end.
Even in his youth, when he had walked the path of chaos one step at a time, he had expended considerable effort before parting the hazy mist and glimpsing the true essence of the Ancient Sacred Academy.
It was a journey rife with uncertainty, one that gave people an indescribable feeling. Most of those qualified to set foot on it might never reach the other shore.
"The Ancient Sacred Academy-what sort of place is it?" Di Yi grew curious.
"It is a land of divine beings and Saints, the birthplace of the Heaven Mending Pavilion," the white-haired, youthful-faced elder explained briefly. It was unclear whether he was genuinely explaining or indirectly emphasizing the Heaven Mending Pavilion's formidable foundations. "There are many opportunities there. Even the path to the other shore is a different kind of cultivation."
"The birthplace of the Heaven Mending Pavilion..." Di Yi nodded. He did not know how powerful the Primordial Divine and Saints were, but if that place could give rise to an entire religious order, its origins were certainly extraordinary.
He thought he might go and see it if he had the chance.
"Let us return to the matter at hand. Do you truly wish to enter the Heaven Mending Pavilion to cultivate?" The white-haired, youthful-faced elder grew serious and asked in a formal tone.
"Yes. That is precisely why I came here," Di Yi said, making it clear that he had come only to seek cultivation, with no other purpose.
"But we have nothing we can teach you," the white-haired, youthful-faced elder said.
If his strength had merely fallen within the bounds of reason, then the Heaven Mending Pavilion's foundations and the precious insights left by its predecessors might have allowed them to claim they could "teach" him.
But Di Yi was far too strong. That ability to see through barriers of runes alone was beyond anything the elder could match.
How could they teach someone like that, and how would they dare?
Their strengths were unequal, the gulf between their capabilities immense, leaving all manner of uncertainties.
"No, there is a great deal you can teach me," Di Yi said frankly. "My understanding of cultivation is a blank sheet of paper. I only know some rudimentary blood moving cultivation. I am not as powerful as you imagine."
"Are you serious?" the white-haired, youthful-faced elder asked, inwardly muttering to himself. He could sense Di Yi's sincerity, but this made no sense at all.
If knowing only rudimentary blood moving cultivation could make him this powerful, what heights and limits would he reach once he truly began cultivating?
"Then let me put it another way. This place is unfamiliar to me. Everything I know and have seen, I have picked up by chance recently-three months at most," Di Yi said. "So there really is a great deal you can teach me."
"Well..." The white-haired, youthful-faced elder was shaken beyond words.
"So, can I enter the Heaven Mending Pavilion now?" Di Yi looked at the white-haired, youthful-faced elder, prompting him to collect himself as he asked.
"Well..." The white-haired, youthful-faced elder struggled to digest the enormous amount of information contained in those few words.
He did not know whether Di Yi was telling the truth.
Someone who had grown to this age could not possibly have no background. Even the most remote mountain villages knew something of cultivation.
A young child could be called a blank sheet of paper when it came to cultivation, but Di Yi was already an adult. That claim clearly could not hold.
Yet he also felt that Di Yi had no reason to lie about this.
After all, what powerful expert would go to such lengths to pretend to be weak? That would be taking things much too far.
"I can't? Then forget it." When the white-haired, youthful-faced elder failed to answer for so long, Di Yi stopped insisting and turned to leave.
If the Heaven Mending Pavilion would not accept him,
then he could only seek out his second choice. As far as he knew, the Deer-Chasing Academy was not far from here, and he intended to head there. "No, no, you misunderstood!" The white-haired, youthful-faced elder caught Di Yi and clapped his hands, settling the matter. "From this day forward, you are a member of the Heaven Mending Pavilion. However... we will only lead you through the door. Your cultivation will still depend on you. The Heaven Mending Pavilion's restricted grounds, scripture repository, and other such places will be open to you, but no one will be assigned to teach you."
Di Yi's origins might be unknown, but what did that matter?
Whether his words were true or false, there was at least one thing the elder could be certain of: this young man sincerely wished to enter the Heaven Mending Pavilion.
Since that was the case, what was there to hesitate over?
Of course, accepting him was one thing. In some respects, Di Yi was special. They could not teach him by conventional means; special circumstances required special measures.
"That is no problem." Di Yi did not mind. He possessed the instinct of True Understanding, so having no dedicated instructor would actually be better. He would have greater freedom.
"Good. Come with me, then," the white-haired, youthful-faced elder said.
"Where to?" Di Yi had thought they would go to the scripture repository, but the white-haired, youthful-faced elder told him it was still too early for that. Although his circumstances were special, certain formalities still had to be observed.
Before long, Di Yi followed the white-haired, youthful-faced elder to a stretch of rocky hills. Dense bamboo groves grew here, and numerous houses stood in a pleasing arrangement. The surroundings were quite pleasant.
It was a land rich in spiritual energy, framed by graceful peaks and verdant valleys, with hazy mists rising around it-an excellent place for cultivation.
"What is this place?" Di Yi asked, looking at the open expanse.
"This is where you will be living from now on. Didn't you say you were a blank sheet of paper when it came to cultivation? You will be spending quite some time at the Heaven Mending Pavilion, so naturally, you need somewhere to live," the white-haired, youthful-faced elder said.
"Genius... Camp?" Di Yi nodded, then looked toward the rocky hills and immediately noticed the inscription on a stone tablet beside the mountain path.
"Ahem... please don't take offense. These are the Heaven Mending Pavilion's rules. Even if the Human Emperor's daughter came here, we could not treat her differently," the white-haired, youthful-faced elder explained, thinking Di Yi was displeased.
"It's fine. That isn't what concerns me." Di Yi shook his head. He had lived in stone houses before and had no particular requirements for his lodgings. "I meant, why is it called the Genius Camp?"
"Oh, that." The white-haired, youthful-faced elder answered, "Here is why. Do you see those people, each with their own distinctive bearing? They are all outstanding talents who rose above the rest in the great tribes. Their exceptional performance in cultivation has earned them the name of geniuses. That was the original purpose behind establishing the Genius Camp: to gather geniuses from the great tribes and let them exchange ideas and learn from one another."
"Then that means they are all very strong?" Di Yi's interest was piqued. Anyone called a genius surely had something that made them stand out.
"Ahem... that is only what we call them. After all, whether someone is a genius depends on whom you compare them with. Compared to you, they could only be called rotten wood that cannot be carved." The white-haired, youthful-faced elder coughed. "All right, enough of that. Keep following me. Our Heaven Mending Pavilion is quite large. Let me show you around a few other places so you can find your way when you move about on your own in the future."
Before you continue