Fang Yuan watched Lu Chen and the others depart, then chuckled. "Wudi, you've truly taken in some remarkable disciples. Their strength even surpasses that of the chief disciples of some of the six academies." "Hahaha, every generation brings its own talents. That's their fortune," Jun Wudi replied with a smile before soaring into the air, following after Lu Chen. "I'll go ahead first. As for the mess down here, Brother Fang, I'll leave that to you." "Go on, go on. It's the Guardian Capital Academy's duty to clean this up anyway." Fang Yuan saw Jun Wudi off, then waved to those behind him. "Ning Zhi, take a few men and oversee the outer sect for now. There's no longer any need for the outer sect's Discipline Court." With a single sweep of his palm, the spells binding the platform below dissolved instantly. "As for those fools down there, strip their cultivation and expel them from the Guardian Capital Academy!" A burly man behind him clasped his hands in salute. "Yes, Master. I'll see to it immediately. But what about Lu Chen? Should we inform Senior Martial Brother Ning Tai? The other academies have already sought out their chiefs. I fear the days ahead will be difficult for the Serene Void Academy." Fang Yuan shook his head and turned to leave. "No need. Soon enough, we'll know which side will really find things hard. Remember this: No matter what happens later, don't be surprised. Just turn a blind eye to it." Ning Zhi watched Fang Yuan leave, then led several men down the mountain steps. *** Read full story at novｅlfire.net Lu Chen met no obstruction as he passed through the mountain gate's barrier, formally entering the Heavenly Mandate Hall's inner sect. "Boss, did we win?" Nantian Yijian clutched one of Wind Dragon's horns, wobbling to his feet. "Is this the inner sect of the Heavenly Mandate Hall?" "Yes. We've broken through the mountain gate," Lu Chen said softly, glancing at the injured disciples piled on Wind Dragon's back. "It may have been a bitter victory, but a victory nonetheless. From now on, anyone will have to think twice before bullying the Serene Void Academy's disciples." "Hahaha! You're right, boss! Once our wounds heal, we'll go hunt those horses again." Nantian Yijian drew his longsword and pointed forward. "Charge ahead, Wind Dragon! Our destination is the Serene Void Academy!" Wind Dragon snorted. "Brat, watch your tongue. I'm still your elder." Wind Dragon muttered a Lightbody Spell and suddenly sped up by ten times. Nantian Yijian staggered and was nearly flung off. "Boss, save me! Wind Dragon, save me! I'm going to fall!" "Hmph... scared now? Do you admit you were wrong?" Clinging to the horn, he swayed helplessly. "I was wrong! I really was! Wind Dragon, slow down, I'm going to fall!" With another snort, Wind Dragon's massive body grew larger, and he gradually slowed. Nantian Yijian channeled spirit qi into his hands to grip the horn, swinging himself to try and leap onto Wind Dragon's head. "Brat, be careful with your hands. These are real dragon horns, not some decorations." Wind Dragon grinned, then suddenly dove down, shaking him off. "Boss! Wind Dragon! Save me! I truly admit my mistake this time!" Nantian Yijian plummeted, the mountain gate steps growing clearer to him with every breath. "Boss... I'm going to die!" Hearing his cries, Lu Chen chuckled. "Wind Dragon, catch him. Little Jian can't release his spirit qi externally. He'd be badly injured falling from this height." "I know. I was only playing with him." Wind Dragon circled once in the air, then swooped down, catching the falling Nantian Yijian. "Phew... I'm alive?" He landed hard on Wind Dragon's back, then frantically checked his limbs. "And all in one piece! I survived!" He scrambled toward Wind Dragon's head, peered over the side, and instantly froze. His legs trembled uncontrollably as he hugged the horn tight, flooding his body with spirit qi to steady himself. Nantian Yijian clung to the horn, squatting and shivering, terrified of being flung off again. "Wind Dragon, why are we still in the sky? Haven't we reached Serene Void Academy yet?" "We're close to the ground. Don't you want to see where the Heavenly Mandate Hall lies?" Wind Dragon surged upward, accelerating toward the location of the six academies. Nantian Yijian shook his head desperately. "No, no, I'm not looking! Let's hurry to the Serene Void Academy grounds. Our brothers still need treatment!" No matter how tempting Wind Dragon's words sounded, he wouldn't dare glance down again. The inner sect disciples along the mountain gate gazed up at the enormous dragon in awe, whispering among themselves. "Isn't recruitment for the six academies coming soon? I want to try for a spot. Anyone coming with me?" "You want to join the Serene Void Academy? Forget it. Everyone knows it's already been drained dry of resources. Going there is basically throwing away your future." "Don't be so sure. Inner sect academies have always been unpredictable. Do you really think they'd be left with nothing?" "Exactly. Look at that massive dark-green dragon, and the fight they just had down below. Does that look like an academy without resources?" "Believe what you want. I'm not convinced." Wind Dragon gradually came to a halt in the inner sect section of the Heavenly Mandate Hall. Staring at the six floating stairways ahead, he asked, "Little Lu, where should we go next?" Song Ping had already awakened. Studying Wind Dragon's immense body, he replied, "The first one on the left leads to the Serene Void Academy. We can head straight there. From here on, this is the true inner sect of the Heavenly Mandate Hall." "The area beneath our feet is where inner sect disciples cultivate. In scale, it's like a city in the mortal world. There are all kinds of entertainment facilities here. If you get bored with studying in the academy, you can come down and explore." "This is also the busiest section of the Heavenly Mandate Hall. Outer sect disciples, and even mortal clans at the foot of the mountain, can use their identity tokens to trade here." Song Ping walked over to Lu Chen and settled on a raised scale of the dragon's back. "Past the floating stairways, you'll reach the six academies after a short walk." "Each academy occupies its own mountain peak. The peaks are connected by walkways, so they can support each other in case of an invasion." "Isn't it supposed to be Three Peaks and Six Academies? Where are the three peaks?" Lu Chen peered into the misty distance. Three towering peaks pierced the clouds faintly. "Are those the Three Peaks?" "Yes. Those are the Heaven Ocean, Earth Ocean, and Mountain Ocean Peaks. They're the sect's three main peaks. Let's move forward. I'll explain more along the way." Standing atop Wind Dragon's head, Lu Chen gave his directions. "Alright, let's return to the Serene Void Academy first. We'll be here for a while anyway. There's still time to learn more." Song Ping pointed to the highest peak in the center. "That's Heaven Ocean Peak. It's forbidden territory in the Heavenly Mandate Hall. Only the peak lords may enter." He then pulled an identity token from his robe. "This is the Heavenly Mandate Hall's identity token. When we return to the Serene Void Academy, someone will deliver one to you." "For now, let's take a look at the Heavenly Mandate Hall in its entirety." With a unique hand gesture, Song Ping infused the token with spirit qi, projecting a miniature map of the Heavenly Mandate Hall on Wind Dragon's back. Nantian Yijian's eyes lit up. "Amazing! It even shows the surrounding terrain!" He no longer feared Wind Dragon's speed and quickly ran to Song Ping's side. "This function is powerful, but only core disciples' tokens have it." Song Ping placed the token on Wind Dragon's back and released a pulse of spirit qi toward Earth Ocean Peak. "Senior Brother Song, what are you doing?" Nantian Yijian asked, puzzled. "Why send spirit qi toward that peak?" "I'm filing a report," Song Ping caught the returning spirit qi message and read it carefully. "These one-way messages are transmitted within the sect. Once you receive your identity tokens, someone will teach you how to use them. "A core disciple's token is linked to the communication pillar on Earth Ocean Peak. Every time you use one of its restricted functions[1], it automatically creates a record that is then stored on Earth Ocean Peak. So a new report must be sent each time." "These tokens have many features, and the people at Earth Ocean Peak are still developing more." Lifting the token again, Song Ping continued explaining the layout of the Heavenly Mandate Hall. "Let's keep going. Once you get your tokens, you'll be able to use all these functions." "Will I get one too? But I haven't even reached the Qi Regulation Realm yet." Nantian Yijian's eyes sparkled with envy as he stared at the token. "My old identity token was nothing but scrap metal. It only proved who I was and didn't do anything else." "Of course you'll get one. We've already passed the Mountain Gate Trial, and besides, you're the lord's second disciple." Turning the projected map, Song Ping added, "You may not have reached the Qi Regulation Realm yet, but your innate talent already guarantees that you'll at least become a core disciple." "Hahaha, that's awesome!" Nantian Yijian shouted, excitement bubbling as he fiddled with the projection. "But... from this angle, doesn't the Heavenly Mandate Hall look like a giant tomb?" "You noticed that too?" Song Ping glanced at Lu Chen, who was staring at the map, lost in thought. "Little Lu, what's on your mind?" He waved a hand in front of Lu Chen. "Do you see anything different?" Lu Chen shook his head lightly. "Nothing much. I just thought of something I lost. Go on. Why does the Heavenly Mandate Hall's terrain look like a tomb?" "You need to let go of what you've lost while you're still mortal," Song Ping said, patting Lu Chen's shoulder as he remained deep in thought. "Once a cultivator reaches the Qi Regulation Realm, they can never truly return to the mortal world. Even if they do, nothing can be changed. "You said you stepped into the Qi Regulation Realm unintentionally, so it's understandable that you don't grasp its full significance. But it's best to cut ties early, or you risk planting inner demons." "I understand. My clan is already gone. I have no ties left to the mortal world," Lu Chen murmured, frowning as he studied the map. "But I can't shake the feeling that something inside the peak at the center is calling out to me." Song Ping shook his head. "It's for the best if you understand. That feeling is normal. It's the influence of the chief's identity token." "You asked why the Heavenly Mandate Hall looks like a tomb, didn't you?" Song Ping shrank the projected map until the entire layout could be seen clearly. "Look again. Do you see it now?" Nantian Yijian leapt up in shock. "The Heavenly Mandate Hall is really a tomb? The outer sect is the offering altar, the mountain gate stairway is the gravestone, and the six academies form the main burial mound... Then who in the world is buried here? And what exactly are those three peaks?" 1. It's the function that only chief disciples have access to ☜