Chapter 11

The clear chime of the bell echoed through the sky, and the lively atmosphere below reached its peak at this moment.

In the exact north of the venue, three figures sat solemnly. The one on the left was none other than Master Mo from yesterday, and the one on the right was a middle-aged man with a gaunt face. His features were tense, his eyes slightly sunken, giving him a cold and stern appearance.

"Hehe, this year's Academy Examination is more lively than usual," said the elderly man with white hair, who sat in the main seat. He smiled warmly, looking down at the enthusiastic scene below, unable to resist laughing.

"Most of the previous Academy Examinations were straightforward, but this one is somewhat unpredictable," Master Mo said with a smile.

"What's unpredictable about it? Liu Yang is now at the initial stage of the Spirit Movement Realm, and he possesses a Human-grade Spirit Vein. Even among the Heaven Rank students, he would be quite advanced. Although Mu Chen is also quite good, he still falls short compared to Liu Yang," the stern middle-aged man on the right sneered. As the highest-ranking mentor of the West Academy, he naturally hoped that the West Academy students would achieve the best results.

"Master Xi, underestimating someone who has qualified for the Spirit Path is not very wise," Master Mo said calmly.

"Unfortunately, that's talking about someone who successfully completes the Spirit Path training," the stern middle-aged man shook his head and said.

The elderly man with white hair smiled at their argument, clearly already accustomed to it. His somewhat turbid gaze turned to the East Academy's seats, focusing on the slender figure of a young man. "It's a pity. It has been over ten years since a young person in the North Spirit Realm has qualified for the Spirit Path... Mu Chen qualified this time but was expelled halfway through, failing to experience the final stage of the Spirit Path. His year of training on the Spirit Path was wasted, and he lost a year of cultivation time."

Master Mo nodded regretfully. On the Spirit Path, one cannot cultivate Spirit Energy, but if one successfully completes the final training, they can receive a Spirit Energy灌topping. For those with exceptional talent, even advancing to the Spirit Wheel Realm or even the Divine Soul Realm in a single night is not impossible. If Mu Chen had completed the training, he would likely already be the top young talent in the North Spirit Realm, and the five academy slots would definitely be secured for him, with no one else having the right to compete.

At that time, even someone like Liu Yang would have to yield to him.

However, who would have thought that such an incident would occur halfway through, causing Mu Chen not only to miss the most valuable Spirit Energy灌topping but also to be expelled, thus wasting a year of cultivation time.

"Dean Xiao, what exactly did Mu Chen do on the Spirit Path? Why was he expelled? I know his talent and character, and it's impossible for him to be expelled due to poor performance," Master Mo frowned and couldn't help but ask. He only knew that Mu Chen had caused quite a stir on the Spirit Path, but the specifics were unclear.

Hearing this question, even the stern middle-aged man looked at Dean Xiao, clearly curious as well.

Dean Xiao stroked his beard and smiled bitterly, shaking his head. "I'm not entirely sure, but I've heard that this young man caused quite a commotion on the Spirit Path... and even alarmed the higher-ups of the five academies."

Master Mo and the stern middle-aged man were taken aback, their eyes full of confusion, clearly unable to imagine what Mu Chen had done to cause such a significant disturbance.

"Let's not talk about this for now. The bell has rung, let's announce the start of the Academy Examination," Dean Xiao said, clearly not wanting to elaborate further, and waved his hand.

Master Mo nodded and stood up, his gaze sweeping over the entire venue. His deep and resonant voice echoed in the ears of every student.

"The time has come, the Academy Examination begins. Compete and spar with your fellow students, but do not use lethal force, remember!"

"You all know the rules. Those who step onto the stage have one chance to challenge an opponent, but only one, so choose wisely and select an appropriate opponent."

"Yes!"

The venue was filled with a sea of black heads, all responding respectfully.

"Since that's the case..." Master Mo nodded and waved his hand. "Let's begin."

Dong!

With the wave of his hand, another loud chime echoed, spreading throughout the entire North Spirit Academy.

Shua shua!

The venue became somewhat chaotic, with figures leaping onto the stage, and shouts echoing continuously.

"Liu Xiong, get down here, I've had it with you!"

"Chen Tong, come out, I need to settle the score from last time!"

"..."

Mu Chen watched the chaotic scene and couldn't help but smile. However, most of these matches were quite ordinary, so he didn't pay much attention. His gaze occasionally glanced towards Liu Yang in the West Academy, who was looking at him coldly.

Everyone in the North Spirit Academy knew that Liu Yang had announced he would choose Mu Chen as his opponent in the Academy Examination, so no one dared to challenge him first. Of course, the West Academy students also understood that, with Mu Chen's strength, the only one in the West Academy's Earth Rank who could be his opponent was Liu Yang.

They were quite looking forward to the match between these two top students from the East and West Academies.

Mu Chen paid no attention to Liu Yang's cold gaze, occasionally chatting softly with Tang Qian'er beside him. However, his actions only made Liu Yang grit his teeth in frustration.

The matches were quite lively, but the most interesting ones were undoubtedly those involving the top-ranked students in the Earth Rank, as these matches could change the rankings.

"That's our East Academy's Tan Qingshan, he's finally making his move..."

Su Ling suddenly spoke excitedly, and Mu Chen's gaze followed. Not far from them, a black-clad youth suddenly stood up and headed towards a stage.

The youth looked extremely thin, with a pale complexion, but his tightly pressed lips showed a hint of determination. He didn't smile easily, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding voices.

"Tan Qingshan..."

Mu Chen was slightly taken aback when he saw the black-clad youth. He knew Tan Qingshan, who was the strongest student in the East Academy's Earth Rank before Mu Chen arrived. Now, he was ranked in the top five among all Earth Rank students.

Tan Qingshan also noticed Mu Chen's gaze, paused for a moment, and then looked up to meet his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his usually serious face.

"Good luck."

Mu Chen smiled at him, though he wasn't particularly close to Tan Qingshan, he didn't dislike him, and they were both from the East Academy.

Tan Qingshan nodded and leaped onto the stage, drawing many gazes. In the East Academy, Tan Qingshan was quite well-known.

"I wonder who he's going to challenge..."

Some people whispered, their eyes filled with curiosity. The number of people in the West Academy who could be considered Tan Qingshan's opponents was limited.

"Liu Yang."

Under the many gazes, Tan Qingshan's eyes directly focused on a figure in the front of the West Academy, and his calm voice caused a stir.

"He's actually challenging Liu Yang?"

The students looked at each other, surprised. Although Tan Qingshan was one of the top students in the Earth Rank, he was clearly still far behind Liu Yang. No one expected him to challenge Liu Yang.

In the West Academy's seats, Liu Yang was taken aback for a moment, then his expression turned dark. Mu Chen hadn't been challenged yet, but he was already being targeted. This made it seem as if Liu Yang's deterrent power was less than Mu Chen's.

"Overestimating yourself."

Liu Yang stood up, his dark aura making the surrounding West Academy students fall silent. At this moment, Liu Yang was quite terrifying.

Liu Yang leaped onto the stage, looked at Tan Qingshan, and then glanced at Mu Chen in the East Academy's seats. His expression was cold as he said, "Are you trying to find someone to test me first?"

Without waiting for Mu Chen's response, he lowered his head and stared at Tan Qingshan, a hint of a sinister smile on his lips. "Blind fool, do you still think you're the top student in the East Academy's Earth Rank?"

Tan Qingshan looked at Liu Yang, his expression becoming more serious. He had once been the strongest student in the East Academy's Earth Rank, and although that title later went to Mu Chen, his pride drove him to continue training hard. He and Mu Chen were in a competitive relationship, but as fellow East Academy students, he didn't want to cause trouble for Mu Chen. However, if he could defeat Liu Yang here, he could reclaim the top position.

Tan Qingshan clenched his fists tightly, and a deep yellow Spirit Energy surged from his body, enveloping his arms. A fierce aura slowly emanated from him.

"That Spirit Energy..."

Su Ling and the others looked at the Spirit Energy on Tan Qingshan's arms in surprise.

"He has also advanced to the Spirit Movement Realm!"

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