Upon hearing the proposal, Ye Guan was slightly surprised, and then he chuckled. Tutor Mu Jin maintained her smile as she asked, "Academy Master Ye, what are you laughing about?" Ye Guan replied, "I'm just happy." "If someone wants to poach one of my students, doesn't that prove how outstanding my student is?" Mu Jin was taken aback. She expected the Academy Master to be upset over such an open attempt at poaching. Instead, he seemed genuinely pleased. "However, this isn't something I can decide. It's up to Zhu Chen," said Ye Guan. Just then, Zhu Chen walked up to them. Ye Guan smiled at him and asked, "The Imperial Academy would like you to stay. What do you think? Rest assured, I won't stop you if you wish to stay." Zhu Chen bowed respectfully. "Academy Master, may we speak privately?" Mu Jin looked at Zhu Chen and earnestly said, "I promise you, staying here means a brighter future." With that, she turned around and left. "How does Guanxuan Academy compare to this place?" Ye Guan asked with a smile. Zhu Chen answered frankly, "There's a big gap." Ye Guan laughed. "Aren't you afraid I'll be upset by your honesty?" "You have a heart and vision broader than the sky. If I lied, that would truly disappoint you." Ye Guan laughed heartily. This young man had an interesting character. "I'm surprised that a tutor would personally ask me to remain here." "This place is excellent, but I have decided to decline." Zhu Chen looked Ye Guan in the eye and answered, "Because I believe that this place will soon become the Guanxuan Academy." Ye Guan burst into a peal of laughter. Zhu Chen bowed slightly and said nothing more. Ye Guan looked at him with a wide smile. "I believe that, too." The two of them left together. After half an hour, Ye Guan returned to the tiny pagoda. Looking at the students of the Guanxuan Academy, he saw that they were no longer arrogant. They looked shaken. The truth was that the Guanxuan Academy still lagged far behind the Imperial Academy. Some students even looked discouraged. If they were compared with the Imperial Academy, most of them wouldn't even qualify to be in the bottom tier. Now, they truly understood that there was always someone better out there. Ye Guan smiled faintly. This was exactly what he wanted them to learn. If they were to remain complacent, they would stop striving for improvement. Having seen the gap between them and the Imperial Academy, they had to let go of their pride and focus on becoming even stronger. Still, Ye Guan thought that it wasn't enough. He had an idea to organize a tournament. It would be a competition against the Imperial Academy. Of course, he would have to pick the opponents carefully. They couldn't be too weak or too strong. At that moment, Ye Guan recalled a proposal he once discussed with Zhou Fan. He decided to move forward with that plan. Not only would it give talents the chance to shine, but it would also spur competition between the best and the brightest from every academy. Only through competition could true talents emerge, after all. That very day, a mysterious figure sought out Ye Guan. Ye Guan looked at him without a word. "It has begun," said the mysterious figure before vanishing into thin air. With that, he vanished. Little Pagoda asked, "What are you smiling at?" "This time, I'm actually eager to see how things will turn out," Ye Guan replied with a grin. Little Pagoda was puzzled. Just then, Xuan Ru appeared before Ye Guan and said, "Brother Ye, the Boundary Domain has opened." "It's a realm created by that mysterious figure a long time ago. It opens once every ten thousand years, but this time, it opened early." "What's inside?" Ye Guan asked. "Rumor has it that there's a scripture called the Breaking Wall Scripture inside, along with treasures left behind by that mysterious figure. Ever since his disappearance, the domain opens only every ten thousand years, but..." Ye Guan chuckled, "When something unusual happens, there's always a reason behind it. Is that what you're trying to say?" Xuan Ru nodded, "Exactly." "Shall we go check it out?" "We have no choice now. Let's go," Ye Guan said. In a grave tone, Xuan Ru asked, "Brother Ye, are you sure?" "You don't have to go," Xuan Ru insisted. "If I go, I get to keep my dignity. If I don't go, I won't even have that." Ye Guan patted his shoulder. "I appreciate your concern." With that, he flew on his sword, vanishing into the horizon. Xuan Ru stared at him with a complex look on his face, and then he quickly followed behind him. Dao Zangtian was sitting with the members of his inner circle. "The Boundary Domain has opened," he announced. The others were surprised. Sui Wuhan frowned. "Why did it open all of a sudden?" Dao Zangtian looked at him. "You should know why." Sui Wuhan was startled. Then, his figure suddenly became illusory. Everyone was stunned. "Trying to escape?" Dao Zangtian sneered. He opened his palm and clenched his fingers. In an instant, a terrifying force sealed the space around Sui Wuhan. Everyone was confused. Dao Zangtian stared coldly at him. "You really think I won't know that you're working for that woman?" At that moment, everyone understood. Sui Wuhan was serving Sheng Gujin. Sui Wuhan remained calm. "You've known for a while, then." "She thinks she can manipulate everyone like puppets. What a colossal joke. If our Dao Cang Lineage can't see through such cheap schemes, we won't even be worthy of calling ourselves cultivators." Sui Wuhan chuckled and said nothing. Dao Zangtian's eyes grew murderous. He clenched his hand, and a surge of terrifying energy came forth, prepared to crush Sui Wuhan. Just then, a hand reached out from behind him, snatching him away. In the blink of an eye, Sui Wuhan was brought tens of thousands of kilometres away. Moments later, a deep voice boomed from the depths of the Dao Cang Lineage. "The Holy King Hall has gone too far!" A giant hand shot up from the depths of the Dao Cang Lineage. In an instant, it tore through the void space and arrived above the spacetime where Sui Wuhan stood. A terrifying, suppressive force immediately sealed the spacetime surrounding him. However, a colossal finger pierced spacetime and clashed head-on with the giant hand! When the two forces collided, the surroundings trembled violently, and destructive waves of energy erupted between heaven and earth. Strangely enough, the spacetime did not shatter. Instead, a wave of Dao Laws manifested, wiping out both the hand and the finger. Silence returned, and Sui Wuhan had vanished. Lineage Master Dao Xiao stared at the distant sky with an expressionless face. Dao Zangtian stood next to him. "Grandfather..." Dao Xiao looked at him. "Didn't you want him dead? Now's your chance." Dao Xiao looked to the distant heavens and smiled. "Sheng Gujin, let's see how you'll get out of this." "They all deserve to die." "Yes, they do," Dao Xiao agreed with a grin. Sui Wuhan arrived at the gates of the grand hall and knelt before Sheng Gujin. "Saint Master, I've failed. Please punish me." "You've completed your mission. Sui Wuhan was puzzled. "You've bought us enough time," she explained. Then, an ancient book floated from her palm to him. "Read this carefully." He caught the book. It was titled 'Guanxuan Laws. Sui Wuhan hesitated before speaking, "Saint Master, I wish to do something big." She glanced at him. "This is the biggest thing you can do." He said nothing more. Holding onto the book, Sui Wuhan bowed deeply. "Understood." After he left, Shadow appeared next to Sheng Gujin and said, "They've already entered the Boundary Domain. The Great Daoist Brush Master is in there, too..." "I know," Sheng Gujin said calmly. Shadow added, "Our people are ready..." Sheng Gujin closed her eyes, "Let's wait a little longer." Brahma Heaven Kingdom, Grand Preceptor Hall. A middle-aged man stepped out of the hall. Everyone outside knelt and greeted, "Greetings, Grand Preceptor!' Unlike his usual casual robes, he was wearing the formal ceremonial robe of a Grand Preceptor, making him appear refined, dignified, and authoritative. He looked up at the distant skies and turned toward a man in an imperial dragon robe. The man walked toward him with powerful, commanding steps. "Greetings, Your Majesty!" the crowd exclaimed while kneeling. It was the King of the Brahma Heaven Kingdom, Fan Tian! Fan Tian walked up to the Grand Preceptor and smiled, asking, "My Grand Preceptor, are you ready?" The Grand Preceptor nodded. "Then let's battle with the Yang Family!"
