Chapter 38

In the land of the Vermilion Bird, the Yanhuang Academy is the most sacred and prestigious Beastmaster school, said to have a history even older than the Vermilion Bird Kingdom itself.

Moreover, more often than not, the Yanhuang Academy is not just a school; it is more like a symbol. At least, Li Tianming knew that, not to mention the level of forces like the Thunder Venerable Manor and the Starry Sky Chamber of Commerce, even the Vermilion Bird royal family, which controls the nation's lifeline, has sufficient respect for the Yanhuang Academy. Throughout history, countless princes and princesses have trained at the Yanhuang Academy.

Li Tianming had even heard that the reason the Yanhuang Academy has stood for a thousand years, unshaken, is because it has a background force that surpasses the imagination of the people of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.

For example, the 'Heavenly Capital' of the academy is a mysterious place to Li Tianming, said to be the true core of the academy.

As the holy land of Beastmasters in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, the Yanhuang Academy has trained countless generations of Beastmasters, holding a lofty status. The entire academy is vast, occupying almost half of the northern part of Yan City, and the entire Yanhuang Academy is even larger than the Vermilion Bird royal family's imperial city.

Today is the day of the quadrennial palace examination, and Li Tianming arrived early in the morning. It goes without saying that today is simply teeming with people.

"Today is just the qualifying battle, not the ranking battle, and yet there are so many people, even more than four years ago."

Of course, not all the people here are young men and women who have received the Yanhuang Order; many are parents and servants. Looking around, there are countless top-notch experts, and the prosperity and grandeur of Yan City are fully displayed here.

The main gate of the Yanhuang Academy is not opulent; it is built from simple massive stones, bearing the marks of time and age. This simple yet weighty arrangement truly reveals the academy's thousand-year-old heritage, a place that all Beastmasters dream of visiting.

Four years ago, Li Tianming, with excitement, passed the palace examination and became a disciple of the academy. Four years later, when he arrived at the academy gate, his mood was completely different.

Because he knew that the two people who destroyed everything for him three years ago were now deep within the Yanhuang Academy, enjoying the treatment of the top geniuses. They would never have thought that Li Tianming had returned.

The qualifying battle is a simple step for Li Tianming, not very difficult. He followed the crowd inside, holding the Yanhuang Order. After completing the registration, he could re-enter the Yanhuang Academy and participate in the qualifying palace examination.

There are five registration points at the academy gate, and now all five points have long queues. The people queuing with him are all teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old, all young and beautiful, their eyes filled with hope.

They are nervous and excited, just like Li Tianming was four years ago.

Once one exceeds twenty years old, they lose the qualification to compete for the Yanhuang Order. Li Tianming was lucky; in a little over a month, he would be too old.

Among the five registration points, Li Tianming chose the registration desk of the 'Phoenix Hall.'

Besides the core 'Heavenly Capital,' the Yanhuang Academy is divided into five halls: the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall, the Phoenix Hall, the Azure Hall, the Primordial Spirit Hall, and the Tianyi Hall.

These five halls recruit Beastmasters for terrestrial beasts, avian beasts, aquatic beasts, insect beasts, and special beasts, respectively.

Avian beasts are led by the legendary phoenix, hence the name Phoenix Hall. The Phoenix Hall has an ancient tradition and is one of the largest halls in the Yanhuang Academy, with many disciples and a steady stream of talents.

As he was about to reach the front of the queue, Li Tianming was surprised to see that the person responsible for registration at the Phoenix Hall today was one of his 'old classmates' from four years ago.

Three years ago, after losing his companion beast, he no longer had the strength to cultivate and thus left the Phoenix Hall on his own. The disciples who entered the Yanhuang Academy with him at that time are now likely to have advanced to the 'Intermediate Class.'

The Yanhuang Academy's five halls are divided into four-year terms, with each term representing a grade, and a total of three grades: the Junior Class, the Intermediate Class, and the Senior Class.

Every four years, a new Junior Class is recruited, and those who meet the cultivation requirements and standards in the Junior Class advance to the Intermediate Class. As for the highest Senior Class, they have already cultivated in the Yanhuang Academy for ten to twelve years and are allowed to graduate.

Of course, if their cultivation and experience are very high, the academy may invite them to become teachers. The teachers of the Yanhuang Academy hold a very high status, absolutely top-tier, so the graduates of the Senior Class are extremely diligent in competing to become teachers.

Three years ago, Li Tianming dropped out of the Junior Class of the Phoenix Hall. His classmates, after three years of hard cultivation, have made great progress and have at least become Spirit Source Realm Beastmasters.

Advancing to the Intermediate Class means their cultivation has passed the examination and met the standards of the Intermediate Class. If they fail to meet the standards, they will be forced to repeat the Junior Class for another four years.

In the Yanhuang Academy, repeating a grade is an extremely shameful thing. Not only does it waste four years of youth, but it also makes one the object of ridicule. More painfully, each person only has one chance to repeat a grade. If they still do not meet the standards the second time, they will be stripped of their status as a disciple of the Yanhuang Academy and expelled from the academy.

These two people in front of him had studied with Li Tianming for a year. They must have advanced to the Intermediate Class and become senior disciples. Otherwise, they would not have the qualifications to shoulder such an important task, registering thousands of young people who have received the Yanhuang Order.

Among the five halls, the Phoenix Hall recruits five hundred disciples each year, but the number of young people who have received the Yanhuang Order and want to enter the Phoenix Hall is estimated to be over one thousand five hundred, with a pass rate of one-third.

These two old classmates, one male and one female, are named Fang Zhao and Lin Qingyu. Li Tianming still recognized them, but he did not know if they still recognized him.

After queuing for about an hour, it was finally Li Tianming's turn. He took out the Yanhuang Order and wrote his origin and name on the list.

Fang Zhao and Lin Qingyu both lowered their heads to collect the information, one responsible for verification and the other for collecting the Yanhuang Order.

"Li Huocheng, Li Tianming." The black-robed man Fang Zhao picked up the list and, upon seeing the name, he was stunned for a moment. Then he looked up, and his expression was particularly vivid when he saw Li Tianming.

"Li Tianming, how can it be you?" Lin Qingyu, wearing an orange dress, her skin slightly sweating under the scorching sun, asked.

"Fang Zhao, Lin Qingyu, it's been a while. I've obtained the Yanhuang Order again and am ready to make a comeback." Reuniting with old classmates, Li Tianming recalled the time four years ago when they all entered the Phoenix Hall as newcomers from remote regions, helping each other and growing together. Those days were naive but touching. Back then, Fang Zhao was still very timid and had weaker cultivation, and Li Tianming had even helped him stand up to bullies.

However, now, their expressions were not right. Seeing Li Tianming, they did not show the joy of a reunion, only shock.

Lin Qingyu, probably recalling Li Tianming's scandal from three years ago, asked tentatively, "Tianming, are you serious?"

"Of course, I'm still within the age limit, and I obtained the Yanhuang Order through hard work. After all, the academy doesn't have a rule that I can't take the palace examination a second time." Li Tianming smiled.

"But your companion beast is already dead!" Fang Zhao raised his head, his face somewhat grim, and said, "Tianming, it's been over three years. Three years ago, because of your incident, our entire class was ridiculed for a long time. Don't cause trouble here. If you really want to cause trouble, I'll have to kick you out."

"That's not necessary. I meet all the requirements, so just register me." Li Tianming said calmly. He was not surprised by Fang Zhao's hostility; by now, he was no longer sentimental about the changes in people and things, as it was a common occurrence.

"Without a companion beast, if I let you in, wouldn't it be even more embarrassing? Li Tianming, it's not like three years ago. We've already advanced to the Intermediate Class. If you really want to cause trouble, don't blame me for not considering our past friendship." Fang Zhao sneered, his face showing malice.

"Oh, so you're already a senior disciple in the Intermediate Class. Impressive." Li Tianming gave him a thumbs up.

"Let me ask you one more time, are you going to leave?" Fang Zhao asked with a dark expression.

"Qingyu, are you also feeling triumphant?" Li Tianming turned to the girl beside him.

Lin Qingyu bit her lip and shook her head. "Forget it, I don't want to get involved. Let's handle it officially. You meet the conditions and have obtained the Yanhuang Order. I can verify your information, so you can enter."

"Qingyu, don't let him embarrass us..." Fang Zhao said anxiously.

"What's the big deal? If I embarrass myself, it's my own problem, not yours." Li Tianming replied.

"Li Tianming, don't forget the difference in our status now!" Fang Zhao stood up abruptly.

After three years of hard cultivation and advancing to the Intermediate Class, his strength had greatly improved compared to before.

"Great, impressive. I'll see it for myself when the opportunity arises." Li Tianming did not want to argue with him. After getting the permission, he turned and entered the Yanhuang Academy.

"I have an important task today. I'll show you how I've improved after three years of cultivation and how I can crush you, you despicable waste." Fang Zhao could not chase after him because there were still over a thousand people in the queue.

Li Tianming did not turn back because of his threats. Such a person, no matter how high his realm or how strong his combat ability, did not intimidate him.

He just felt nostalgic, remembering the days when they were all naive and innocent, not like this.

Back then, they came from all over the country, entered the same Junior Class, and everything was new to them. Those nights spent sitting on the ground, chatting until dawn, could only be sealed in memory.

He wondered if the other classmates from back then would be like Fang Zhao.

Perhaps, he would find out soon.

He followed the crowd into the Yanhuang Academy. After entering the gate, the legendary Yanhuang Battlefield of the academy appeared before him.

This is where the academy disciples spar and train, and where major competitions are held. The famous ranking battles of the Yanhuang Academy take place here.

In front of him was a vast open area with hundreds of massive arenas, each made of ancient stones, bearing countless battle marks.

The entire vast area was surrounded by a circular building with tens of thousands of seats, all prepared for spectators. The Yanhuang Academy's trials are open, and many people with status and position in Yan City can come to watch, and ordinary people can pay to witness the prowess of the academy disciples.

In addition to the tens of thousands of open-air seats, there are hundreds of private rooms. The people in these rooms are the true top-tier figures of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, with better views to see all the arenas.

These arenas and the high spectator seats form the famous Yanhuang Battlefield of the academy. Over a thousand years, countless young geniuses have made a name for themselves here, proving their worth. This is the place where the academy disciples' blood boils.

Today's qualifying battle and the more important ranking battle that follows will take place here.

When Li Tianming entered, there were already many people seated in the spectator seats, mostly elders who could clearly see the performance of their children and descendants. In the hundreds of private rooms, there were likely some people of high status.

For true geniuses, the qualifying battle is not very difficult, so today would not be as lively as the ranking battle day.

However, Li Tianming never expected that among the spectators, there were two people he knew very well.

These two, one male and one female, the man, though middle-aged, still looked young, with a long beard and a commanding presence. He sat there with an aura of authority.

The woman beside him was much younger, around her twenties, with a bewitching appearance and a graceful figure. Her every smile and frown attracted the attention of many people, making her a true beauty.

They were Li Yanfeng and Liu Qing.

Li Tianming did not turn back because of Fang Zhao's threats. Such a person, no matter how high his realm or how strong his combat ability, did not intimidate him.

He just felt nostalgic, remembering the days when they were all naive and innocent, not like this.

Back then, they came from all over the country, entered the same Junior Class, and everything was new to them. Those nights spent sitting on the ground, chatting until dawn, could only be sealed in memory.

He wondered if the other classmates from back then would be like Fang Zhao.

Perhaps, he would find out soon.

He followed the crowd into the Yanhuang Academy. After entering the gate, the legendary Yanhuang Battlefield of the academy appeared before him.

This is where the academy disciples spar and train, and where major competitions are held. The famous ranking battles of the Yanhuang Academy take place here.

In front of him was a vast open area with hundreds of massive arenas, each made of ancient stones, bearing countless battle marks.

The entire vast area was surrounded by a circular building with tens of thousands of seats, all prepared for spectators. The Yanhuang Academy's trials are open, and many people with status and position in Yan City can come to watch, and ordinary people can pay to witness the prowess of the academy disciples.

In addition to the tens of thousands of open-air seats, there are hundreds of private rooms. The people in these rooms are the true top-tier figures of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, with better views to see all the arenas.

These arenas and the high spectator seats form the famous Yanhuang Battlefield of the academy. Over a thousand years, countless young geniuses have made a name for themselves here, proving their worth. This is the place where the academy disciples' blood boils.

Today's qualifying battle and the more important ranking battle that follows will take place here.

When Li Tianming entered, there were already many people seated in the spectator seats, mostly elders who could clearly see the performance of their children and descendants. In the hundreds of private rooms, there were likely some people of high status.

For true geniuses, the qualifying battle is not very difficult, so today would not be as lively as the ranking battle day.

However, Li Tianming never expected that among the spectators, there were two people he knew very well.

These two, one male and one female, the man, though middle-aged, still looked young, with a long beard and a commanding presence. He sat there with an aura of authority