Volume 1, Chapter 25: The Hidden Martial Realm
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“Xiao Ziyue! For Mu Yi, are you truly willing to pay any price to make an enemy of our Grand Harmony Alliance?”
Nangong Ying and Gu Fan regarded her with eyes sharp as blades, their voices even more cutting.
“Hmph. The Jade Alliance I belong to has always been enemies with your Grand Harmony Alliance. A little more hatred means nothing to me.”
Xiao Ziyue gave a cold laugh, completely unmoved.
The Hidden God Academy had four major factions.
The Grand Harmony Alliance had been established by Mo Jinghong, Master of the Hall of Punishment.
The Jade Alliance, meanwhile, had been founded by the current dean, Shen Yushu.
These two factions were as irreconcilable as fire and water.
“Xiao Ziyue, we admit defeat this time. We are no match for you!”
Nangong Ying ground his teeth. “But do not forget that Senior Brother Zhao Fenghua will soon emerge from seclusion. He has pursued you for years without success. Now that you and Mu Yi are so close, once he learns of this, you know perfectly well how serious the consequences will be…”
“Hahaha! Mu Yi! Do not think that Xiao Ziyue can protect you and keep you safe. Once Senior Brother Zhao comes out of seclusion, even if you hide within the academy and never leave, he will kill you outright—and no one will be able to protect you.”
“Oh, right. Of course, if you stay beside Dean Shen, Senior Brother Zhao may not be able to do anything to you. But who knows whether Dean Shen will be willing to keep you at his side?”
Nangong Ying and Gu Fan burst into laughter as they departed.
“Zhao Fenghua is coming out of seclusion? That is certainly not good news.”
Xiao Ziyue’s lovely face darkened.
“Senior Sister Xiao, who exactly is Zhao Fenghua? He sounds terribly arrogant.”
Mu Yi narrowed his eyes as well.
“Zhao Fenghua is the foremost prodigy of the Hidden God Academy, the leader of the Four Sacred Sons. His cultivation broke through the Origin Mansion Realm five years ago, reaching the terrifying Golden Core Realm.”
A rare gravity appeared in Xiao Ziyue’s beautiful eyes as she continued, “That man has been pursuing me for the past two years, but I have never shown him the slightest favor. His emergence from seclusion will indeed be extremely disadvantageous to you.”
“A Golden Core expert? That does sound somewhat troublesome.”
Mu Yi’s expression remained calm, though his eyes narrowed slightly.
The Golden Core Realm!
Within the Great Qian Dynasty, it was surpassed only by the Primordial Origin Realm.
It was also a realm that many elders of the Four Academies could never hope to reach.
Zhao Fenghua had entered the Golden Core Realm five years ago. He truly deserved to be called the foremost prodigy of the Hidden God Academy.
“What? Are you afraid?”
Xiao Ziyue’s beautiful eyes shimmered. “If you really are afraid, then you can only distance yourself from me. Otherwise, Zhao Fenghua may truly attack you. More importantly, I am not his match.”
Xiao Ziyue’s cultivation was merely at the peak of the tenth level of the Origin Mansion Realm, placing her fifth among the thirty-two Sacred Sons.
The four Sacred Sons ranked above her were the academy’s most exceptional figures.
Among them, Zhao Fenghua was hailed as an unparalleled genius, and for a time, no one could rival his brilliance.
“Afraid? The word ‘afraid’ has never existed in my dictionary.”
Mu Yi threw back his head and laughed. “I do not even regard Mo Jinghong, a Primordial Origin giant, as worthy of my attention. In one year, I will take his head!”
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“And a mere Golden Core cultivator like Zhao Fenghua thinks he can frighten me? That is the greatest joke in the world!”
This was Mu Yi’s domineering nature.
“Good! Master did not misjudge you, and neither did I!”
Xiao Ziyue revealed a smile so radiant that it seemed to eclipse heaven and earth.
She patted Mu Yi’s shoulder with her jade-like hand, her eyes filled with admiration. “Among all the disciples of the Hidden God Academy, there is no one who does not fear Zhao Fenghua. You are the sole exception!”
“Rest assured. So long as my master and I are here, we absolutely will not let Zhao Fenghua touch you!”
Xiao Ziyue offered Mu Yi her protection.
…
The night was cool as water, and the brilliant river of stars glittered overhead.
Mu Yi stood in the courtyard, gazing up at the sky.
“Nangong Ying, Gu Fan, Zhao Fenghua, and Mo Jinghong.”
“And Ling Tiandu and Qin Wanqing of the Great Qian Academy.”
“Just wait. It will not be long.”
Mu Yi’s most urgent task now was to master the three high-grade Heaven-ranked martial arts he had obtained: the Carefree Cloud-Wandering Steps, the Heaven-Suppressing Seal of Heaven and Earth, and the Swift Thunder Gale Palm.
He had originally intended to enter the cultivation domain within the Dragon-Elephant God-Demon Pagoda and master all three techniques with ease.
But now, he rejected that idea.
“I cannot rely on the Dragon-Elephant God-Demon Pagoda for everything. I will cultivate these three martial arts in the Hidden God Martial Realm tomorrow.”
The Hidden God Martial Realm was the cultivation ground for every disciple of the Hidden God Academy.
Within it stood a vast artificial mountain riddled with hundreds of grottoes of various sizes.
Each grotto contained a different formation. Whether one wished to cultivate martial arts, meditate in seclusion, or improve one’s cultivation, there was no better place.
The next morning, sunlight shone brightly, and birdsong mingled with the fragrance of flowers.
Mu Yi opened his room and set out early. By then, he had already reached the Hidden God Martial Realm.
Disciples were free to enter and leave this place as they pleased.
The moment Mu Yi stepped inside, he saw a constant stream of people moving all around him.
“Hmm? Look, everyone—isn’t that Mu Yi?”
“No way! It really is him! Yesterday, on the Life-and-Death Stage, he killed He Wendao, who ranked eighth on the Inner Academy’s Mountains and Rivers Ranking, with a single move!”
“What? That really happened? Impossible. He Wendao was at the eighth level of the Metamorphosis Realm, while Mu Yi is only at the first level. How could he possibly have killed He Wendao?”
“I saw it myself. He Wendao tried to flee the Life-and-Death Stage, and Mu Yi struck him dead with a punch from behind. Perhaps Mu Yi might not have been able to kill him if he had not run.”
“It must have been a fluke…”
Mu Yi had become a figure of great renown within the Hidden God Academy.
He had been in the academy for less than ten days, yet he was already the subject of everyone’s idle conversations.
Mu Yi paid no attention to their discussion. His purpose in coming here was simple: to take advantage of the cultivation grottoes and master the three martial arts.
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After all, his short-term goal was rapidly approaching. In two months, the Great Qian Dynasty’s Dragon Gate Tournament would begin—a grand event held once every four years. At that time, the Four Academies, the great clans of the dynasty, and various minor sects and factions would all send disciples to compete.
Mu Yi had promised Shen Yushu that in this year’s Dragon Gate Tournament, he would lead the Hidden God Academy to victory.
The Hidden God Martial Realm was divided into three levels.
The first level was where Outer Academy disciples cultivated, and the formations there were the weakest.
The second level was the cultivation ground of Inner Academy disciples.
The third level belonged to Core Disciples and was reserved for those whose cultivation had reached the Metamorphosis Realm.
It could be said that each of the three levels of the Hidden God Martial Realm was restricted to a specific group of disciples. An Outer Academy disciple would never enter the second level, nor would an Inner Academy disciple enter the third.
Although the academy had never formally decreed that disciples could not enter the other levels, this had been an unspoken rule for centuries. No one was permitted to violate it.
“The formations in the grottoes of the first and second levels are too weak. They are of no use to me in cultivating these three martial arts.”
After sensing them briefly, Mu Yi continued forward. His destination was naturally the third level, the cultivation ground of the Core Disciples.
“Hmm? What is Mu Yi trying to do? Is he actually heading toward the third level?”
Ever since Mu Yi had appeared, every move he made had become the focus of public attention.
Now, after entering the second level, Mu Yi did not pause at all. He stepped onto the stairs leading to the third.
The action immediately stirred up a tremendous commotion.
“Mu Yi! The third level is reserved for the academy’s Core Disciples. You cannot go up there!”
The surrounding disciples began shouting one after another.
“The third level—the cultivation ground of Core Disciples at the Metamorphosis Realm.”
Mu Yi did not turn his head. He gave a faint, cold laugh. “Although I am not a Core Disciple yet, I already possess the cultivation required of one. With my current cultivation at the first level of the Metamorphosis Realm, entering this place is perfectly reasonable.”
“You are mistaken!”
At that moment, five or six men appeared on the stairs ahead of Mu Yi.
They blocked the passage he intended to enter.
“Mu Yi, although your cultivation has indeed reached the Metamorphosis Realm and you meet the conditions to become a Core Disciple, the rule upheld by our Hidden God Academy for a thousand years is that you must pass the annual disciple promotion examination before you can become a true Core Disciple and enjoy the privileges and treatment that come with it.”
The speaker had sharp brows and bright eyes, with a powerful and heroic bearing. He stared at Mu Yi, his gaze carrying an air of superiority, as though he looked down upon heaven and earth.
“Senior Brother Ximen! He has actually emerged from seclusion!”
“Senior Brother Ximen is ranked seventh on the Mountains and Rivers Ranking, with cultivation at the eighth level of the Metamorphosis Realm! He is also a member of the Grand Harmony Alliance.”
“This is going to be interesting. Clearly, Senior Brother Ximen is deliberately trying to humiliate and make things difficult for Mu Yi.”
“But yesterday, on the Life-and-Death Stage, Mu Yi killed He Wendao, who ranked eighth on the Mountains and Rivers Ranking! Will Ximen Jianfei, ranked seventh, truly be Mu Yi’s opponent?”
The moment Ximen Jianfei appeared, the crowd erupted into discussion. Everyone gathered around to watch, packing the area so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.
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