Chapter 34: Azure Cloud (12)

Azure Cloud Academy was located at the border of Yunzhou and Zhongzhou. There were no particularly outstanding paradises or blessed lands here. Before the academy was established, there were only three small hills and a large gourd-shaped lake. One day, the Dean passed by and thought the landscape was quite nice, so on a whim, he chose this location for the academy.

The three mountains were originally named Yellow Mud Mountain, Rotten Mud Mountain, and Baldy Mountain. Because the names were really unpleasant and not elegant enough, the Dean waved his hand, changed the feng shui, and also changed the names of the mountains. Now the three mountains were named Carving Rot, Polishing Jade, and Gentleman Is Not A Tool. The lake was named Guangwen Ze. There were hundreds of buildings and pavilions in the mountains, and countless library pavilions, training grounds, and disciple courtyards. At 7 AM, with clouds and mist swirling around, plus the pavilions, carved beams, and painted rafters within, the once ordinary mountains had been renovated to look like celestial palaces and jade towers.

There were many teachers in the academy. The fixed labor force were cultivators found by the Dean, but there weren’t enough hands, so every year he would snatch some big shots from immortal sects to give lectures. Of course, the big shots were very busy and usually only came to play when they had free time. Those who stayed for a shorter time would stay for half a day to discuss Dao or show off a unique skill. Those who stayed longer would be there for four or five years, selecting a few good seedlings to take away. If the Dean worked a little harder, maybe one day he could invite all the sect masters of the five sects down for a stroll.

Of course, the main reason why Xu Yinwei, the Dean of Azure Cloud Academy, had such great influence was that he came from the Xu clan of Pengzhou and was the biological brother of the current leader of the Immortal Alliance.

When the Dean was young and frivolous, he traveled around the Nine Provinces. Now that he was old and opened an academy, due to his high seniority, many friends, and thick skin, he was very good at begging.

For example, this time the Young Master of Yuanchen Palace came to study, so he begged for many rubbings from Shuwen Pavilion. The Little Young Master of the Fu clan wanted to come to relax, so he begged for a batch of secret realms and immortal artifacts. In the past, a junior of the Sword Sect Leader wanted to learn the qin, so he exchanged for the Guili Sword Master’s four-year teaching time… After students finished their studies and went out, those who didn’t have a sect to go to could be directly arranged into the Immortal Alliance to work for his brother. It was simply too convenient.

Relying on his begging here and scrimping there, he continuously expanded Azure Cloud Academy over the years. There were actually hundreds of secret realms sealed in the academy.

The final test this time was very simple, which was to randomly draw a trial secret realm for everyone to enter and hunt demons and eliminate devils. Of course, the difficulty of the secret realm depended entirely on the luck of the person drawing the lot.

The final test secret realm was on Polishing Jade Mountain, within a flat mountain wall. In front of the mountain wall was a square. Several assessing senior brothers moved tables and placed them in front, recording the roster.

The leading assessing senior brother didn’t sleep well last night, with faint dark circles under his eyes. After writing two words, he would fiercely scan the colorful crowd, trying to find a few familiar faces.

But unfortunately, those little thieves who disturbed people’s dreams were nowhere to be found.

There were more than three hundred people entering the secret realm in the square today, considered the largest number in ten years.

He cursed secretly in his heart, hoping the Dean would draw the most difficult trial secret realm, and then rubbed his sore wrist.

The square was extremely large. Nine chairs were placed at a high place. Today, besides the Dean, eight teachers would come to observe the final test. As for the edge of the square, many senior brothers and sisters brought small stools, melon seeds, and peanuts to watch.

Truly a thriving and good learning atmosphere.

After the roster was almost recorded, the Dean arrived late with seven teachers. The crowd surged, people whispered, containing keywords like Wuhua Realm, Taixuan Realm, and occasionally mixed with a few sentences about why the Guili Sword Lord didn’t come.

Xu Yinwei, the Dean of Azure Cloud Academy, dressed in scholar robes, with a fair face and long beard, hair mixed with black and white, looked refined and easygoing, very graceful. Leading a group of people to stand in front of the mountain wall, he coughed, cleared his throat, and began to talk eloquently.

The assessing senior brothers who were caught to be tools covered their ears one after another.

An hour passed in a blink of an eye. The clouds and mist in the sky began to disperse, and the sun came out. Xie Xuanxiao stood in the square, his face extremely ugly.

Zhang Duixue didn’t have much talent in array techniques. He couldn’t possibly unravel his array. The tracking talisman should still be on him, but he didn’t know what method was used to make him undetectable. And until now, there was no sign of Zhang Duixue in the square.

Unless he didn’t want to enroll anymore.

There must be helpers around Zhang Duixue. But he couldn’t figure out who. Among the students this year, except for those loose cultivators without sects, basically all were children from noble families. Who dared to touch his person, and who could touch his person?

Dean Xu on the high platform was still talking, chattering as if he could talk until the seas dried up and rocks decayed.

At the same time, Xie Xuanxiao’s wrist burned. He finally detected a trace of Zhang Duixue’s aura, weak as a thread, only it led all the way outside the mountain, straight out of the academy’s range.

He had searched from last night until this morning. Unfortunately, the academy was too big, with too many places for people to hide. This was not Yuanchen Palace, and there wasn’t so much manpower at his disposal. In the end, he found nothing.

Thinking that Zhang Duixue would eventually come to participate in the final test, he waited here early in the morning.

Xie Xuanxiao thought a lot in this instant. Was it luring the tiger away from the mountain, or did he really annoy the person, and Zhang Duixue didn’t want to learn anymore and wanted to go home?

At the same time, the Dean in front of the mountain wall finally finished his impassioned speech, then walked to a large box, fumbled for a moment, took out a golden post, and casually pressed it into the mountain wall. The rugged stone wall instantly became ethereal, as if countless mists were about to disperse from it.

The Dean began to read the trial rules. This time there were only five short rules: no killing, no severely injuring teammates, a three-day limit, a passing score of one hundred points, and elimination for breaking the jade.

With the sound of a bell, the final test officially began!

The crowd began to surge forward. Impatient sword cultivators had already started riding swords, planning to rush straight in.

Beside him, Young Master Fu tilted his head and asked Xie Xuanxiao if he wanted to go in now. He lowered his eyes, said “help me watch the entrance,” and then left, circulating spiritual power, leaving Polishing Jade Peak at the fastest speed, flying directly towards Guangwen Ze Lake.

His action was really a bit unruly. Dean Xu frowned, just about to flare up, when he heard a gratified voice behind him, “The Young Palace Master’s spiritual power circulation is more proficient!”

Dean Xu’s frown relaxed halfway, instantly beaming with joy like a magic trick. “Oh my, is it Little Xie? Haven’t seen you for a few years, grown so big?”

“Indeed.” The lecturer from Yuanchen Palace had a face full of doting. “Time waits for no one. The Young Palace Master is already at the seventh realm. Truly a young talent with a boundless future.”

Dean Xu: “Hehehehe, indeed dragon’s appearance and phoenix’s posture, a handsome talent.”

The secret realm opened completely. He Tingtong and the others lurked among the senior brothers and sisters who were eating melon seeds, serving tea and peeling melon seeds for them. The academy was divided into five pavilions: Sword Pavilion, Langhuan Pavilion, Heavenly Sound Pavilion, Hundred Herb Pavilion, and Ingenuity Pavilion, corresponding to five cultivation methods. If one had enough energy in the academy, one could learn up to three at the same time.

Therefore, although divided into five pavilions, everyone was actually quite familiar with each other, sitting in a mess. For these four little disciples mixed among them, they mostly looked at them teasingly.

“Yo, still not going to queue up now? What are you hiding here for? In debt of love?”

A girl holding a qin asked them with a smile.

He Tingtong offered peeled tangerines. “Senior sister, spare my life. Someone is really chasing us, we have no choice.”

Fu Fengyan was pinching peanuts, Yue Qianxun was cracking melon seeds. After cracking, he put the nuts on a plate and offered them. Zhang Duixue was squeezed in the innermost part. A girl was asking him how his hairstyle was cut, saying it modified the face shape quite well. Zhang Duixue stammered that his hair was knotted and he cut it himself, then was advised to use some hair oil when washing hair in the future for smoothness.

Zhang Duixue looked blank but nodded, indicating he remembered.

He Tingtong kept staring at the crowd. Seeing Xie Xuanxiao being lured away by the aura on the paper man he made yesterday, he waved his hand, bid farewell to the senior sisters, and then led the three behind him to rush out directly towards the secret realm.

The four figures were agile, flipping over the railing in a few moves, throwing themselves directly at the stone wall.

Fu Baiyu was staring at the entrance. He was really curious about what kind of person could fascinate Xie Xuanxiao to this extent. Yesterday he only saw a portrait. The features in the painting were indeed good, but the picture was ultimately rigid, without any special spirit.

Xiangli Xuan was not in good spirits either. He was probably disturbed for a long time last night, with some green under his eyes. At this moment, holding a guqin, standing quietly, he looked a bit like his mind was wandering.

His younger brother was too lazy to wait and had already gone in directly just now.

Xiangli Xuan asked from the side, “What secret realm did the Dean draw?”

Fu Baiyu touched his chin. “Don’t know. Judging by the appearance of the post, it looks like Wandering Spirit Illusion Dream. Probably someone’s wandering spirit realm, likely not easy to pass.”

Xiangli Xuan frowned imperceptibly. “Then Lingze going in alone might be dangerous.”

“I say, you music cultivators carry such a big qin every day, your strength is quite good too. Why not practice something else to protect yourselves?” Fu Baiyu stretched his waist, thinking of finding a seat to sit down, when out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly glimpsed several strange figures rushing towards the mountain wall at extremely fast speed.

He had a photographic memory. Today helping Xie Xuanxiao find someone, he had memorized everyone’s face on the field. These four people who suddenly popped up, weren’t they Xie Xuanxiao’s wife and his accomplices!

“Coming! Hey, truly luring the tiger away from the mountain!” Fu Baiyu leaped up, his wide robe sleeves spreading. A mountain wind suddenly arrived in mid-air, sweeping towards the four sprinting teenagers.

He was at the fifth realm cultivation. This move should have blown people away, but unexpectedly, someone threw out a Wind Talisman, directly clashing with his spiritual technique. The two canceled out, and that gust of wild wind turned a corner instead, scooping up a pile of people in the front row, like an invisible big hand, instantly rolling everyone up and throwing them into the mountain wall.

Fu Baiyu landed, dumbfounded.

Xiangli Xuan had even assumed a posture to use the qin, now silently put it away, giving him a look of “good luck to you,” “Young Palace Master Xie is back.”

Fu Baiyu turned around and saw Xie Xuanxiao covered in wet water marks, holding a soaked paper man, his face dark.

“They have gone in.” Fu Baiyu didn’t know if he saw the scene just now, speaking ambiguously.

Xie Xuanxiao’s brows and eyes seemed covered in a layer of frost. Spiritual fire flickered on his body, drying his robes in an instant. “How many people went in?”

Fu Baiyu held up four fingers.

Xie Xuanxiao’s voice was icy: “Please do me a favor, you two. As for the other three, I want them to get out of Azure Cloud Academy.”