Chapter 693: A Chance to Salvage?

This city was vast beyond measure; even with the Eye of Reason, one could not see its end. It was set upon the immense plain like a dazzling pearl among grains of sand.

"The imperial capital of a first-rate empire... truly magnificent!"

Zhang Xuan lifted his gaze.

As expected of a first-rate empire's capital, majestic and imposing. Compared to it, the Tianxuan Kingdom was like a clod of earth from the countryside, insignificant.

Even the size of this city alone was close to the entire area of the latter's country.

The entire city was enveloped in spiritual energy, as if a massive formation controlled the weather and climate within, making it easier for residents to cultivate and improve.

"Defying the heavens to alter the seasons—this is a means only a Saint possesses!"

Yu Fei'er walked over, her face full of pride.

All along, this fellow had been swaggering and arrogant, making her feel like a poor country girl. Now, finally seeing him astonished, she was immensely pleased with herself.

"Hmm."

Although he could also set up formations and was no weaker than a five-star formation master in that regard, setting up a grand formation covering thousands of li was still beyond him.

A formation of this level required not only precise control but, most importantly, absolute mastery over power. If mishandled, it would collapse and cause massive destruction.

"We've returned in just over twenty days. There are still a few days until school starts. Teacher Hong and the others should have just arrived. I need to meet up with them first!" Recovering from his shock, Zhang Xuan said.

Merging souls had taken three days, the异灵族 underground palace three or four days, followed by the Beast Hall and twenty days of flight. With three days left until the one-month deadline, under normal circumstances, Teacher Hong and the others should have just arrived here not long ago.

"New students from the Huanyu Empire will all stay at the Scholar's Sea. I'll take you there, and then we need to return to the academy to report."

Yu Fei'er said.

They had not only completed the trial but also discovered such a huge secret; they needed to report back.

Although Xing Yuan, Wu Zhen, and the others had returned early, Wu Yangzi's handwritten letter and the cauldron were still with Luo Qiqi. Plus, with Zhang Xuan back, they needed to report in person to clarify everything.

"Alright." Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Teacher, the Scholar's Sea is where new students of the academy live. It houses not only new students from the Huanyu Empire but also geniuses from other second-rate empires and even the Hongyuan Empire. You must be careful and avoid conflicts with them!"

Luo Qiqi cautioned.

Those who could be called geniuses were surely unruly and proud. The Scholar's Sea was where the Hongyuan Empire received new students, with countless geniuses. If he got into conflict with them, even a princess like Yu Fei'er would find it hard to intervene.

"Don't worry, I'm an honest man. I won't cause trouble." Zhang Xuan smiled.

Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei'er exchanged a glance and shook their heads simultaneously.

If you were an honest man, then we'd all be meek little lambs?

On the first day in the Huanyu imperial capital, you threw Teacher Feng to the ground, battered beyond recognition, then beat the top three from various vassal states until their faces were like pig heads. Entering the Purification Pool, you turned into a corpse...

Anyway, wherever you go, there's chaos and uproar, ghosts and gods flee. And you still dare to call yourself an honest man!

The Scholar's Sea, meaning the influx of new students from all directions is as vast as the ocean, also called Scholar's Residence or New Student Residence.

It was on one side of Hongyuan City, not too far from the Master Teacher Academy. The Purple-Winged Sky Roc was extremely fast, and soon they arrived.

Getting off the flying boat, Zhang Xuan put the item from the Beast Hall into his storage ring, then took his leave of Luo Qiqi and the others.

Entering the gate of the Scholar's Sea, countless buildings stood in rows. Young master teachers walked about, exuding an air of vigor and fullness of spirit.

These people looked to be around twenty years old, yet their ranks had all reached four-star, and many had cultivation at the Harmony Spirit realm, not inferior to him at all.

Truly worthy of being geniuses from various sects, kingdoms, and empires—extraordinary.

Following the directions Luo Qiqi and the others had given, he searched for a while and soon found a courtyard.

"Hmm? No one guarding the door?"

After checking and confirming this was where the new students from the Huanyu Empire were staying, Zhang Xuan found it strange.

The residences of new students from other empires all had their doors tightly shut or were guarded, but here, the gate was wide open, not a ghost in sight. Could it be that he had guessed wrong and Teacher Hong and the others hadn't arrived yet?

Puzzled, he stepped inside.

The courtyard was clean and tidy, showing signs of regular cleaning. The surrounding pavilions and corridors bore traces of recent habitation.

"It seems people have arrived, but why is no one here?"

As a half-step five-star master teacher with the Eye of Reason, it was easy for him to tell if someone had lived here. Just as he was wondering, he heard a whistling sound from ahead, as if something had crashed into a wall, sending dust flying.

"Someone's fighting!"

His expression darkening, he hurried forward. Rounding a corridor, he saw a wide courtyard with a small arena where people were sparring.

A crowd was gathered below, including Teacher Hong and Teacher Feng.

Ruohuan Gongzi, Bi Jianghai, Luo Xuan, and others who had come with him were also sitting below, but their faces were flushed and bruised, as if they had just been beaten up.

The one currently sparring on the stage was also someone he knew—a genius led by Teacher Feng named Han Ling, whose cultivation had already reached the mid-stage Harmony Spirit realm. After nearly a month, he had clearly grown stronger, having broken through to the late stage.

Even before making a move, he exuded an extremely powerful aura.

His opponent was a gray-clad youth, also at the late-stage Harmony Spirit realm, but seemingly stronger in combat. Han Ling was steadily losing ground, having retreated to the edge of the arena.

"Go, Han!"

"We can't lose again..."

"Yeah, if we lose again, we'll really have to listen to them..."

...

Luo Xuan and the others below clenched their fists, their faces flushed, their eyes full of unwillingness.

"What's going on?"

Seeing everyone too focused on the fight to notice his arrival, Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

Why were they fighting?

"Haha, stop struggling and admit defeat! I can't even last three moves against Senior Brother Feng. If you can't even beat me, you're dreaming of challenging him!"

Pressing his attack, the youth opposite Han Ling grinned smugly and laughed loudly. "Don't worry, follow us and you'll benefit. If you persist in being stubborn, don't blame me for being rude!"

Amid his words, his attacks came one after another, fierce and powerful. Han Ling's face turned pale as he struggled to resist.

"Teacher Hong, what's happening?"

After watching for a while and knowing that Han Ling's defeat was certain—he probably couldn't hold out for more than a few moves—Zhang Xuan walked over to the stage and couldn't help asking Teacher Hong, who was nearby.

"Ah... Teacher Zhang, you're okay? You're back? Great!"

Seeing Teacher Zhang appear, Teacher Hong was so excited he nearly jumped. The others below, including Luo Xuan, were also flushed with excitement.

Even Xiulian Gongzi, whom he had beaten into a pig's head before, had red-rimmed eyes, as if seeing a loved one, indescribably moved.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhang Xuan was puzzled. It had only been less than a month; was it that serious?

"It's the new student assessment!" Knowing he didn't understand, Teacher Hong quickly explained. "The assessment items have been set. It's a hunt in the Hongyuan Mountain Range..."

Soon, Teacher Hong recounted the matter.

After listening, Zhang Xuan understood.

It wasn't that making it into the top ten of the Master Teacher Competition meant direct entry into the Master Teacher Academy. One also had to pass an entrance assessment. The content varied each time—sometimes it was a pass-through, sometimes a formation challenge, sometimes a written test... This year, it was a hunt.

The hunting ground was at Lei Yuan Peak in the Hongyuan Mountain Range.

Lei Yuan Peak was a massive mountain range near the Master Teacher Academy, steep as a blade and difficult to traverse. Even Harmony Spirit realm experts found it very hard to climb, let alone hunt there.

Different levels of spirit beasts hunted yielded different scores. The threshold was to hunt one peak Turbid Purity realm spirit beast within a day.

Although spirit beasts could fight above their level, with the master teachers' insight and Harmony Spirit realm strength, hunting this level was still easy. But... the number of spirit beasts in the entire mountain range was limited, and knowing they were being hunted, they would flee or hide, making them not so easy to find.

Moreover, the more beasts one hunted beyond the passing mark, the more credits one could exchange... This easily led to抢夺 among new students.

More importantly, the spirit beasts in the mountain range were not only at the Turbid Purity realm but also at the Harmony Spirit, Bridge Heaven, and even higher levels. Entering, one not only had to hunt but also guard against being killed by the beasts!

Every assessment saw a number of new students injured or killed.

In short, once the assessment began, it was a battle—a test of the master teacher's character, strength, adaptability, insight, and many other aspects.

Only the truly strong could stand out and make a name for themselves. Those weak in strength or character would likely have their mentality collapse soon after entering and ultimately return in defeat.

This assessment was a test of survival of the fittest; if you couldn't cut it, you had to leave!

To better pass and avoid danger, many empires formed alliances as soon as they arrived.

With more people in an alliance, even if they encountered strong new students trying to rob them or powerful spirit beasts, they could hold their own.

However, alliances had both advantages and disadvantages. The benefits were obvious—making participants safer. The downside was that with more people, spirit beasts would easily detect them and flee. Even if they managed to catch some, distribution would involve issues of priority and order.

The leading party would enjoy first pick of the spoils. It was possible that by the end of the day, when the assessment concluded, the supporting parties might not have gotten a single beast and would all be eliminated!

In other words, passing depended on the hunting results and how the leading party distributed the spoils. Therefore, to gain the initiative, every alliance wanted to be the leader.

Those sparring with them were master teachers from the second-rate empire, Jinhai. The two sides had decided to form an alliance and were now competing for leadership through combat.

"How many rounds total? How many have we fought so far?"

After hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan understood and couldn't help asking.

If they had only lost half, now that he was here, there might still be a chance to salvage.