While walking the bustling street, Xiao Xi was absent-minded. The matter just now had given her too much of a shock. She needed time to calm down. To this, Lin Xun remained quiet. This was perhaps the price of growth. Even the most empty canvas would gradually become a picture under the trials and tribulations of the world. “Dao Brother,” the stunning purple-clad Nie Qingrong caught up with them. She had skin as fair and smooth as butter, a charming appearance, a huggably slim waist, and an ample bosom. However, in stark contrast to this peerless beauty was her ice-cold temperament. “Just get straight to the point.” Lin Xun stopped walking and looked at Nie Qingrong, not surprised that the other party would follow him out. Nie Qingrong lowered her phoenix eyes and softly said, “From what I saw, your little sister was going to sign up for the selection? Does this mean she has plans to cultivate under Liangyi Academy?” Nie Qingrong took a deep breath as if to gather courage, and finally looked straight at Lin Xun, “Dao Brother, if you can trust me, I wish to help you with this.” Lin Xun asked, “And why do you want to help?” Nie Qingrong deliberated for a moment before she replied, “Would you believe me if I say I want to form good karma with you, Dao Brother?” He said, “I believe you.” The way he responded without thinking took Nie Qingrong aback. She had originally been prepared to patiently explain her reason, but now, she was actually at a loss for words. “Kiddo, do you want to go with her and study at Liangyi Academy?” Lin Xun looked at Xiao Xi by his side. The young girl was clearly excited from how bright her eyes were, but she still hesitated, “I’ll listen to you, Big Brother Daoyuan.” This scene suddenly reminded Lin Xun of Zhao Jingxuan. Back in the Ancient Wasteland Domain, Ao Zhentian had come to Star Chess Sea to take Zhao Jingxuan to the True Dragon World and participate in the Thousand Dragon Celestial Assembly. Zhao Jingxuan had been exactly like Xiao Xi now, giving the same response despite her excitement. The memory of this put a smile on Lin Xun’s face. He said to the young girl, “Then go.” He had put some thought into this matter and figured that under Nie Qingrong’s care, Xiao Xi definitely wouldn’t be bullied in Liangyi Academy. This was precisely why he had been so quick and affirmative in his reply to Nie Qingrong’s question. It was an expression of goodwill on his part. Nie Qingrong obviously also felt uplifted, her eyes gleaming like a beautiful autumn lake. She softly said, “With her talent, this little sister can definitely shine bright in Liangyi Academy.” Lin Xun said, “I just hope that she leads a safe life.” Nie Qingrong was stunned for a moment. Then, she guaranteed, “Don't worry, Dao Brother. No one can bully her in Liangyi Academy.” There was absolute confidence in her voice. “I just happen to have nothing to do at the moment, so I wonder if Liangyi Academy welcomes me, an outsider, to pay a visit?” asked Lin Xun. Nie Qingrong's eyes lit up, and her gentle voice took on a hint of joy, “It’s the academy’s honor to be graced by your presence .” “My lord,” Huo Xingdu hurriedly came from the distance, first bowing respectfully toward Nie Qingrong and then toward Lin Xun, “Reporting to Seniors, the father and son of the Qin Clan have received the punishment they deserve.” “Mhm,” Lin Xun acknowledged and made no comment. Nie Qingrong said, “Huo Xingdu, since I’m leaving today, the disciple selection will be in your charge.” Huo Xingdu hurriedly nodded. “Dao Brother, should we depart immediately?” She turned to Lin Xun. “Alright,” Lin Xun agreed. Watching the three of them fade into the horizon, Huo Xingdu quietly wiped the cold sweat on his face. As an Emperor Ancestor, he hadn't been this scared in a long time. In the depths of the clouds, a treasure ship as big as a mountain sped by. Lin Xun was casually leaning on the bow of the ship and drinking from the wine gourd in his hand. Melodious laughters would occasionally ring out from the cabin behind him, one soft and enchanting while the other crisp and tinkling. They belonged to Nie Qingrong and Xiao Xi who were having a great time talking. The former had intended to befriend the latter, so since boarding the ship, she had started lowering her pride to do so. It didn’t take long for their relationship to become cordial. Lin Xun just looked on quietly. This was Xiao Xi’s first time experiencing the First Heaven Domain outside of Yunying Village, but it was also the same for him. The only difference was that he already had plenty of life experience and knowledge . While drinking the wine, he took out a jade slip. This was the ‘Everything Codex’ that he had purchased while wandering Qingliu City. It contained information related to the First Heaven Domain. The Four Great Regions. The Four Great Academies. Known Forbidden Lands. Aeth Mountains and Blessed Lands. Extraterritorial Immortal Mountains... There were around a hundred catalogs like these alone in the Everything Codex. Each of them was then expounded at length, to the point that virtually all the various matters in the First Heaven Domain from ancient times to the present day were written down in detail. Even Lin Xun found this record to be an eye-opener and read it with great interest. Gradually, he gained a general idea of the First Heaven Domain. According to the codex, the First Heaven Domain was located in the outermost part of the Eternal True Realm, and its size was comparable to that of a hundred big worlds combined! Such a massive territory was divided into four great regions, namely Donglai, Xixia, Beifeng, and Nanhuo. Each of these regions had a respective academy, which were the Liangyi Academy in Donglai, the Xingdou Academy in Xixia, the Huangmu Academy in Beifeng, and the Binglin Academy in Nanhuo. The four great academies represented the top four organizations in the First Heaven Domain, basically making them the overlords. Behind each of them stood different Immortal Imperial Clans, and these clans were all behemoths high up in the Sixth Heaven Domain! Furthermore, this situation not only applied to the First Heaven Domain, but also the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Heaven Domains. For instance, the Second Heaven Domain had a big organization whose influence covered it entirely called the Jiuxuan Institute. It was definitely the undisputed number one power in the whole domain. However, nearly all the high-ranking officials of Jiuxuan Institute came from different Immortal Imperial Clans of the Sixth Heaven Domain. In other words, the Jiuxuan Institute actually represented a bunch of Immortal Imperial Clans from above! The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Heaven Domains were in a similar situation, and the reason for it was simple. Those Immortal Imperial Clans of the Sixth Heaven Domain were like royalty and nobility. While they were entrenched in the Sixth Heaven Domain, their forces had long since infiltrated the domains below and governed them. The purpose was simply to harvest more cultivation resources. For example, while Liangyi Academy was the overlord of the Donglai Region in the First Heaven Domain, it had to gather and send cultivation resources to the Sixth Heaven Domain every once in a while. Only in this way could it gain the support and protection of those Immortal Imperial Clans. The cultivation resources included all kinds of mineral deposits, aeth veins, materials, treasures, etc. In short, anything cultivation-related would be delivered to the Sixth Heaven Domain as ‘tribute.’ In addition to those, discovering new ‘law powers’ would earn them special rewards as well! At the same time, the existence of Liangyi Academy also had another purpose: to find cultivation talents and recruit them for the Immortal Imperial Clans in the Sixth Heaven Domain. In fact, most organizations like Liangyi Academy were tasked with collecting cultivation resources and potential geniuses for the clans behind them. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 This was the equivalent of ‘tax’ in a mortal dynasty, where the taxes were collected through the layers of counties, states, and provinces before being transported to the imperial capital. By the same token, the official examinations in the counties, states, and provinces were conducted for the purpose of finding and sending talents to the imperial capital. In this comparison, the First Heaven Domain played the role of a county, and the four great academies were government offices in charge of collecting taxes and selecting talents in the county. Upon acquiring the knowledge, Lin Xun was astonished and deeply impacted. After exhausting the financial, material, and human resources of the first five Heaven Domains, it would be difficult for those Immortal Imperial Clans in the Sixth Heaven Domain Clans not to be powerful! However, he was also well aware how this law of ‘big fish eats the small fish’ worked. The ‘tribute’ sent to those Immortal Imperial Clans in the Sixth Heaven Domain would probably continue to go up to the Seventh Heaven Domain. It could only be through this kind of flow of resources that the entire system and power structure of the Eternal True Realm was formed. After some pondering, Lin Xun began to focus on studying the power structure of the four great academies. Behind Liangyi Academy stood three Immortal Imperial Clans: the He, the Zhu, and the Hong. Among them, he was most familiar with the He Clan. It was precisely one of the four great Immortal Imperial Clans of Wen, Heng, Peng, and He, and was also Emperor Ancestor Yunyuan’s clan. Lin Xun was no stranger to the Zhu Clan either. Back in Tiger’s Den City, the second Immortal Heavenly Pass of the Great Thousand Battle Domain, he had attended a banquet in the City Lord's Residence hosted by Peng Tianxiang, during which he had killed a supreme Emperor named Zhu Lin. This Zhu Lin was from the Zhu Clan of the Sixth Heaven Domain! He couldn't help but frown. He hadn’t expected that there would be such an enemy force among the ones behind Liangyi Academy. Of note, the Zhu Clan was one of the Immortal Imperial Clans who had posted his wanted notice in the various parts of the world! Lin Xun himself wasn't afraid of them, but he had to take Xiao Xi into consideration. Should his identity be exposed one day, she might be implicated and suffer in Liangyi Academy. “Looks like I must resolve this first...” he mused. If this kind of latent threat was not purged, it would only be detrimental to Xiao Xi. As Lin Xun was thinking to himself, he seemed to sense something and abruptly looked in a certain direction. Almost at the same time, a loud laughter came from the clouds in the horizon, “Hahaha, I didn't think I’d run into Master Nie's treasure ship here. Could this be the will of Heaven?” The clouds then dispersed, and the void trembled violently as a group of powerful, radiant figures came out of thin air through teleportation. As soon as they appeared, they set up a formation and blocked the treasure ship’s path from afar. Their spirit senses also swept out across the sky and earth. These people were aggressive!