Chapter 43

*Bang—*

Eight floating boats slowly docked at the air piers around the Liao Yuan, like eight lice jumping onto a turtle's back, the size difference between the two being immense.

Li Yao stepped onto the Liao Yuan with a reverent heart.

Today, the Liao Yuan has been transformed into a war museum. As soon as he walked off the forward deck, Li Yao saw a huge bronze statue. It depicted a naval officer with a resolute face, one hand on his sword and the other pointing not far away, as if roaring loudly.

Even though it was just a statue, it exuded an indomitable and relentless aura of fighting to the bitter end. Li Yao could almost hear the thunderous roar coming from inside the bronze statue:

"Sink the Tianye!"

This was the statue of the first and last captain of the Liao Yuan, the Core Formation cultivator "Ping Yuantao."

At the base of the statue, nine words were engraved, a famous quote by Ping Yuantao.

Legend has it that when Ping Yuantao was young, he joined a cultivation sect. At that time, the Tianyuan Realm was still a paradise for beast monsters, and humans could only struggle in a few towns controlled by cultivation sects. The Star Glory Federation had just been established and was not even considered a country, merely a loose organization set up for communication and coordination among nine cultivation sects.

At that time, Ping Yuantao and a group of young people joined the cultivation sect. The elders, as usual, asked them why they wanted to cultivate.

The young people chattered, giving various reasons: some said for wealth and beauty, some for immortality and eternal freedom, some for learning a hundred magical abilities and a thousand transformations to do as they pleased, and some for slaying demons and protecting their loved ones.

When it was Ping Yuantao's turn, he said nine words:

"For the rise of the Federation, I cultivate!"

A hundred years later, Ping Yuantao added a brilliant and glorious footnote to these nine words with his life. These nine words became the motto of countless Star Glory Federation cultivators, inspiring them to expand territories, slay beast monsters, and turn the Star Glory Federation into the most powerful human nation in the Tianyuan Realm!

"Too cool!"

Although he had learned Ping Yuantao's story and heard this phrase many times in textbooks, seeing it on the Liao Yuan, and allegedly in Ping Yuantao's own handwriting, was naturally very different. Many students were excitedly shouting and running over to take photos with the bronze statue of Ping Yuantao, then posting them on the spirit network to show off to their friends.

Li Yao also wanted to take a photo, but Zheng Dongming pulled him directly inside, saying he wanted to show him something exciting.

"The statue won't run away, but the big scene inside needs to be seen early, or it will be too crowded later!"

"What big scene?"

"Before each Extreme Challenge, the nine elite schools hold a 'two-way exchange meeting' outside the venue to introduce the 'nine' and attract cultivation geniuses to apply. There are nine booths in the cabin, where cultivators from the 'nine' directly interact with the candidates. It's very lively, and we need to get in quickly!" Zheng Dongming said, familiar with the routine.

"Cultivators from the 'nine'?" Li Yao's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sped up without Zheng Dongming pulling him.

Entering the first deck, the large space was packed with over a thousand students, the noise and atmosphere intense.

The entire hall was divided into nine independent areas, each with the name of a university hanging above it.

Zheng Dongming looked around and then pulled Li Yao toward the "Tian Huan Academy" area.

"Why go to Tian Huan Academy first? Is this university the strongest in overall strength?" Li Yao was a bit confused, as it seemed the most crowded around the Tian Huan Academy booth.

"Who cares if it's strong or not! Tian Huan Academy is the only school in the 'nine' that specifically cultivates artistic cultivators. The school is famous for having a large number of beautiful women of high quality, and they are all super artistic!" Zheng Dongming swallowed, his eyes gleaming.

The two finally managed to push through the crowd and saw that the Tian Huan Academy booth was very simply decorated, with some calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls. In one corner, a few college students were half-closed-eyed, swaying their heads, immersed in music. On the other side, a young man with messy hair and a scruffy beard was trembling, reciting a poem.

In front of them, a woman in a white robe with black hair down to her waist was intently painting.

Li Yao followed her jade-like fingertips and saw that her painting style was completely different from the original. With fierce and sharp brushstrokes, she depicted a small, battered fishing boat battling a tentacled sea monster in a stormy sea.

"Not bad..."

Although Li Yao didn't understand art, he could feel the heart-stopping intensity in the painting, nodding slightly. He heard a faint sound of waves.

Waves?

Li Yao was stunned, suddenly finding himself on the forward deck of a violently rocking small fishing boat, with waves crashing over his head. The stinky seawater poured into his nose and mouth, and the roar of the beast monster-like waves echoed in his ears!

Looking far into the distance, the surrounding area was an endless, raging sea. Looking up, he saw the head of the tentacled sea monster, like a small mountain, above the small fishing boat, with two blood-red eyes staring at him, emitting soul-piercing light!

"Ah!"

Li Yao was terrified and couldn't help but shout.

This shout seemed to shatter the illusion, and his soul returned to his body, drenched in cold sweat, feeling as if he had experienced another world.

Looking around, Zheng Dongming also had a pale face and trembling legs.

"Now you know the power of artistic cultivators, right? This beautiful woman had no ill intentions, and the painting was only half-finished, yet it could drag us into a terrifying illusion. If she had attacked us intentionally and used a completed painting, do you think you could have escaped?" Zheng Dongming said, trembling.

Li Yao took a deep breath and recalled the scene in the illusion where the tentacled sea monster was staring at him.

Even now, he couldn't believe that such a terrifying illusion was created by an unfinished painting.

Artistic cultivators were indeed extremely terrifying.

"Ah, although there are many beautiful women, these artistic cultivators are all crazy and should not be provoked easily. They can only be admired from a distance, not toyed with! Look, that guy reciting a poem is blushing and about to lose himself. When his mental energy explodes, who knows what kind of terrifying illusion he will create. Let's go quickly, or we might be dragged into his illusion. I don't want to enter the mental world of an ugly man!" Zheng Dongming pulled Li Yao out of the crowd and to the booth of the second university.