Chapter 546: Yingshan Academy (2)

Chapter 546 -464: Yingshan Academy (2)

But the most important requirement for both types of people was that they had to be talented.

‘Those sealed individuals are all prodigies from their respective eras. If we could invite them to study at Yingshan Academy, they might become the seeds of a new generation of scholars, perhaps even Saints!’

“Excellent!”

Vice Dean Wang felt a moment of enlightenment.

The Confucian Family was not like the other two major schools of thought; it was the most inclusive.

Regardless of one’s status, as long as one was willing to study, one was a scholar.

“Senior Brother, I have been enlightened.”

He bowed to the old Confucian scholar.

The old Confucian scholar accepted the gesture calmly.

It was only natural; after all, he was the dean of Yingshan Academy.

Yan Shao’an chose to remain silent.

Although things hadn’t developed in the direction he had anticipated, at least… Yingshan Academy had decided to take action, hadn’t it?

The old Confucian scholar cautioned, “Junior Brother Wang, I am getting old. You will be fully responsible for this matter. Just remember one thing: you must not, under any circumstances, get involved in the affairs of the Royal Family.”

“Yes.”

Vice Dean Wang nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Having achieved his main objective for the trip, Yan Shao’an felt a great sense of relief.

He spoke up, “Mr. Wang, does our academy not have any sealed individuals?”

This was something he had always been curious about.

As the Grand Protector, his intelligence network was naturally extensive, so he knew that many major sects, and even some that had fallen into decline, had sealed individuals emerging from their seclusion.

Yet, there had been no news from Yingshan Academy.

As an academy with several thousand years of history, it was unreasonable for Yingshan Academy to have no sealed individuals.

Vice Dean Wang glanced at Yan Shao’an. “We do. Of course we do. He emerged two thousand years ago, went on campaign with the Grand Ancestor Emperor, and eventually became the Grand Tutor.”

“I see.”

Realization dawned on Yan Shao’an.

He certainly knew of the great figure Vice Dean Wang mentioned.

That was an outstanding student whose name was displayed even higher than his own on the academy’s wall of honor.

No wonder Yingshan Academy had been so quiet. Their sealed individual had awakened long ago.

Yan Shao’an stayed at Yingshan Academy for another three days.

Three days.

For a man of his station, a Grand Protector, this was a very long time.

Just as Emperor Li Dai was about to send someone to Yingshan Academy to summon him, Yan Shao’an finally, and reluctantly, descended from the mountain.

「Afterward.」

Vice Dean Wang of Yingshan Academy also descended the mountain.

He carried a list with him.

On that list were the names of all the sealed individuals and their affiliations.

…

「Xiangzhou, the General’s Mansion.」

“Yingshan Academy?”

Bai Yuan looked at the intelligence report in his hand, a little surprised.

This report had been sent from the Central Plains.

The number of sealed individuals was growing. Not all of them liked to hide their identities, and there were simply too many of them. Their existence was already an open secret among the higher echelons.

Just as the world was speculating on how the emperors of the two dynasties would deal with these sealed individuals…

Yingshan Academy actually made a move.

Some sealed individuals, whose original factions had already declined, were “invited” to Qingshan by Vice Dean Wang of Yingshan Academy.

It was called an invitation, but in reality, those sealed individuals had almost no power to refuse.

Although the sealed individuals possessed the potential to break through to Divine Communication, or even further, they had only just awakened. Their strength was merely at the Clear Heart realm, so how could they possibly be a match for the Divine Communication-level Vice Dean Wang?

In the end, without exception, they all went to Qingshan.

As for what awaited them at the academy on Qingshan, no one knew.

“How strange.”

Bai Yuan smiled and shook his head.

Yingshan Academy was one of the four great academies, the only one that could rival Bailu Academy.

Throughout all the chaotic years of the Xuan Yang era, it had never once intervened, remaining terrifyingly low-key.

But now, it was making a move openly and brazenly.

It was truly intriguing.

Beside him, Ji Feng also wore a strange expression as he looked at the report in Bai Yuan’s hand.

As a sealed individual himself, he felt as if he were being viewed as prey.

‘It’s a good thing my senior brothers and sisters are so capable.’

Ji Feng was now extremely grateful that, thanks to the efforts of his senior brothers and sisters, the Dragon Tiger Sect had remained powerful for ten thousand years.

Otherwise, with his current strength, his fate wouldn’t have been much better than that of those other sealed individuals.

Bai Yuan asked curiously, “Brother Feng, do sealed individuals have some kind of special use?”

Ji Feng rolled his eyes. “You really think we’re some kind of medicine? Aside from being born a little earlier, we’re no different from ordinary people. That damn academy must have some other motive.”

As he spoke, a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.

‘The world has really gone downhill. This world is too dangerous, not nearly as pure and simple as my own era.’

So he decided that once he returned to the Dragon Tiger Sect, he would never descend the mountain again—not unless he could break through to Divine Communication.

“Ah Yuan, time waits for no one. You have to be faster.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

Big Beard had already told him something similar.

After all, the world’s fortune is finite.

Even if Mr. Yuan had made it possible for the number of Divine Communication Powerhouses to increase, not everyone would get the chance.

Once too many Martial Artists broke through to Divine Communication, the fortune left for those who came after would be pitifully small.

At that point, one could truly only prove their path through brute force.

After spending this time together, Ji Feng had come to think very highly of Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan was the first person who had ever made him feel inferior.

As for why he was so certain, it was of course because the two had already fought. The result was predictable: Ji Feng had been pinned to the ground and beaten soundly by Bai Yuan for two hours.

It ended with Ji Feng begging for mercy.

‘But being able to fight and being able to break through are two different things, and Bai Yuan is just too young. If Bai Yuan had another ten years, reaching Divine Communication would be a certainty.’

Shi Yan was actually in a similar situation to Bai Yuan.

With Shi Yan’s aptitude, stepping into Divine Communication wouldn’t be a major issue. But if all the world’s fortune was absorbed by the sealed individuals, that would be another story entirely.

Every time he saw Shi Yan, Ji Feng would sigh that he was born at the wrong time.

Fortunately, Shi Yan was a carefree person, which was why he could maintain such an unconcerned expression.

Perhaps it was precisely this personality that had earned him the favor of Sect Leader Li.

“By the way, have you confirmed the location of that Demon Seed?”

“Almost.”

Bai Yuan replied, but then followed up with a curious question, “So, you really have a way?”

Ji Feng chuckled mischievously.

“Don’t worry. And even if it doesn’t work, it’s not like that whatever-Sect-Leader can kill us, right?”

“…”

For a moment, Bai Yuan didn’t know how to respond.

For someone at the Clear Heart realm to dare be so brazen in front of a Divinity Grandmaster—perhaps only people like Bai Yuan and Ji Feng were capable of such a thing.

But he had to admit, he liked the attitude.

‘The Demon Seed!’

…

「The Northern Plains.」

Mo Tian and the Tianxin Sect Leader were walking across the vast, desolate plains.

“Have you thought of a way to block the prying senses of Divine Communication Powerhouses?”

Mo Tian asked.

The Tianxin Sect Leader shook his head. “This is a bit tricky. I’ve already sent people to look for Celestial Secret Ash. With it, we can shield ourselves from the consciousness of powerful experts.”

“Good.”

Although Mo Tian was somewhat displeased, he still nodded.

After all, he was no longer the Demon Sect’s Saint Heir, who could command the wind and rain and order Divine Communication Powerhouses around at will.

Getting the Tianxin Sect Leader to obey his commands was already no easy feat.

‘I can only wait a little longer.’

Mo Tian was impatient to meet the person who could activate the Divine Palace Profound Soldiers.

Perhaps from that person, he could uncover the contingency plan left behind by the Demon God.

That was right.

Mo Tian’s goal was different from that of the other sealed individuals.

Most other sealed individuals had been sealed away in this era by their ancestors with the fervent hope that they would become Martial Saints.

He was different.

From the day he broke his seal, his mission was to follow in the Demon God’s footsteps, become an existence even more powerful than the Demon God, and then devour the Demon God himself.

According to the teachings of the Demon Sect,

there could only be one god.

Anyone could become a god, then absorb the power of all the sect’s followers across the world for their own use.

The Demon Sect had never shied away from the idea of devouring the old Demon God to become the new one.

Perhaps it was precisely because of these absurd practices that the Saint Sect of the past came to be known by the world as the Demon Sect.

Just then—

A streak of green light suddenly flashed across the horizon.

Both Mo Tian and the Tianxin Sect Leader’s expressions turned wary.

「The next instant.」

The green light fell directly from the Nine Heavens, smashing straight toward the Tianxin Sect Leader.

The Tianxin Sect Leader’s eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Dragon Tiger Sect, the Heavenly Master’s Righteous Method?!’

The moment the thought arose, he was struck by the green light, and his gaze turned vacant.

Seeing this, Mo Tian’s expression turned ugly.

“Who is it!”

Before the words had even faded, a General and a Daoist appeared before him.

“We’ve come for something you have!”