Chapter 16

As the academy exams gradually came to a close, the excitement they generated still enveloped the Northern Spirit Academy. For several days, the entire academy was abuzz with discussions about the intense exam battles.

Inside the Northern Spirit Academy, Mu Chen did not make a fuss. If it weren't for the Spirit Path incident, perhaps not many students would have paid much attention to him. Even though he had a strong background, compared to someone like Liu Yang, who was a shining star, he still had a gap in terms of reputation. Before, it was unlikely that many people would have bet on Mu Chen in a confrontation with Liu Yang.

But the unexpected happened right under everyone's noses.

The seemingly low-key Mu Chen decisively defeated Liu Yang, securing the top spot in the Earth Rank and successfully advancing to the Heaven Rank. Everyone knew that with his Intermediate Spirit Movement Realm strength, he could still achieve a good ranking even among the Heaven Rank students of the Northern Spirit Academy.

This couldn't help but make people marvel. At this point, they realized that Mu Chen's qualification for the Northern Spirit Realm's sole Spirit Path was not so unbelievable after all.

...

In the Northern Spirit Academy, the Heaven Rank was the gathering place for all the outstanding students. To advance to the Heaven Rank, the primary condition was to reach the Spirit Movement Realm, meaning that the weakest students in the Heaven Rank were at the Early Spirit Movement Realm.

Every student viewed the Heaven Rank as their goal, as it was the only stepping stone to enter the "Five Great Academies." Only by advancing to the Heaven Rank did one have the qualifications to compete for a spot in the "Five Great Academies."

The selection process for the "Five Great Academies" was extremely strict, with the primary condition being that students must reach the Spirit Wheel Realm before the age of eighteen. This condition alone was enough to make countless young people hesitate.

Currently, in the Northern Spirit Academy's Heaven Rank, the number of students who could meet this requirement probably did not exceed five.

From this, one could see how terrifying the admission criteria for the "Five Great Academies" were. Despite the strict conditions, countless talented young people still rushed towards them like moths to a flame, because the power of the "Five Great Academies" was immense. Even Mu Chen was well aware that, despite the vastness of the Northern Spirit Realm, it was perhaps not even as significant as an ant in the eyes of the "Five Great Academies." The domain lords here were at most at the Divine Soul Realm, and such strength would be easily surpassed by any mentor in the Five Great Academies.

In the "Five Great Academies," there truly existed supreme-level powerhouses, who could overturn the heavens and the earth with a mere wave of their hand.

For talented young people like Mu Chen, who wanted to stand out in the vast world of geniuses and prodigies, solitary cultivation without guidance was almost impossible to achieve greatness. Even the best jade needs a master's careful carving to shine, and such high-level guidance was something the Northern Spirit Academy could not provide, nor could Mu Chen's father.

If Mu Chen's mother were by his side, according to Mu Feng's description, she might be able to do it, but unfortunately...

Therefore, the Five Great Academies were an unavoidable obstacle on the path to strength.

...

"Hey, you two, hurry up... It's your first time going to the Heaven Rank for training, and you're still dawdling." On a gravel path lined with trees in the Northern Spirit Academy, Tang Qian'er looked at the two young men behind her with some dissatisfaction and scolded them.

Mu Chen looked at Tang Qian'er's slender figure ahead and said lazily, "Why the rush... Isn't there still some time?"

"You idiot, if you keep moving so slowly, all the good spots in the training ground will be taken." Tang Qian'er shot a glance at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen shook his head helplessly, and Tan Qing Shan scratched his head and said, "Mu Chen, let's listen to Senior Tang Qian'er and hurry up."

He looked at the girl's graceful and curvaceous figure, and his usually serious face turned red.

Mu Chen looked at his flushed face with some surprise and couldn't help but laugh, "Do you like Senior Tang Qian'er?"

Tan Qing Shan's face instantly turned bright red, and even sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Bang!"

Before Mu Chen could say anything else, he saw Tang Qian'er angrily walk back, raise her long legs, and kick him hard on the knee.

"Keep talking nonsense, and I'll beat you up," Tang Qian'er said, her eyebrows furrowed.

The pain in his knee made Mu Chen grimace, but seeing Tang Qian'er's furrowed brows, he realized she was really angry. He cleared his throat and quickly said, "Let's go, hurry to the training ground."

Tang Qian'er huffed and walked forward, saying, "You're new to the Heaven Rank, so you need to be more careful. The Heaven Rank can be quite troublesome, with many pretentious and annoying people. Although your father is the lord of the Mu Domain, many people here don't care about that."

"Senior Tang Qian'er, do I look like someone who likes to use my father's status to pressure others?" Mu Chen laughed.

Tang Qian'er thought for a moment and then nodded. In the Northern Spirit Academy, Mu Chen rarely mentioned his father's status; all his fame was earned through his own efforts.

"You know that, right?" Tang Qian'er said with a pout.

"Also, be careful with those old-timers in the Heaven Rank. They can't advance anymore, but that's what makes them troublesome."

Mu Chen nodded. He knew what Tang Qian'er meant by "old-timers." They were students who had already lost their eligibility to enter the "Five Great Academies" because they were over eighteen and had not reached the Spirit Wheel Realm. Without that goal, they were somewhat aimless and lived a life of idleness. These people often disregarded the rules of the Northern Spirit Academy, so few others were willing to provoke them.

"I don't like provoking people," Mu Chen shook his head and didn't say more. But Tang Qian'er, who was familiar with him, understood his meaning. He didn't provoke others, but if someone provoked him, this seemingly good-tempered young man would make them realize that one should not judge a book by its cover.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you. In the Eastern Heaven Rank, I'm not afraid of anyone," Tang Qian'er said with a smile, her face blooming like a flower, very charming.

Tan Qing Shan, seeing the two of them chatting familiarly, couldn't join in and could only follow obediently.

The three walked towards the eastern part of the Northern Spirit Academy. After about ten minutes, they stopped and looked ahead. There was a massive hall, and outside the hall, students were rushing in and out.

Mu Chen looked at the hall, his eyes showing surprise. He could feel that the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth seemed to be attracted to the hall, gathering there continuously. The spiritual energy inside the hall was undoubtedly much denser than outside.

"Is this... a Spirit Gathering Array?" Mu Chen asked.

Tang Qian'er nodded, somewhat proudly, "This training hall is a key area of the Northern Spirit Academy, and only Heaven Rank students have the qualifications to enter. Inside this training hall, the Northern Spirit Academy spent a great deal of effort to invite a Spirit Array Master from the Five Great Academies to set up a Level 3 Spirit Gathering Array. This is the only Level 3 Spirit Gathering Array in the Northern Spirit Realm."

"Level 3 Spirit Gathering Array."

Mu Chen smacked his lips. A Spirit Gathering Array was extremely beneficial for cultivation, and as the young lord of the Mu Domain, he naturally understood the value of a Level 3 Spirit Gathering Array. Even the Mu Domain couldn't afford to set one up, not to mention the vast amount of rare materials required. Even a Spirit Array Master was something that the Northern Spirit Realm probably couldn't afford. The Northern Spirit Academy must have used a lot of connections to invite one.

"Apparently, in the Five Great Academies, there are even Level 6 or higher Spirit Gathering Arrays. Cultivating there, the speed is incomparable to the outside," Tang Qian'er said with longing. Even a Level 3 Spirit Gathering Array was already very powerful, and a Level 6 Spirit Gathering Array was almost unimaginable.

"Once you enter the Five Great Academies, you'll experience it. Let's go in," Mu Chen said with a smile, then he walked ahead towards the most precious hall in the Northern Spirit Academy.

Passing through the thick gate guarded by guards, the first thing that caught their eye was a vast square. The square was filled with massive stone pillars, each covered with complex spirit patterns. The patterns glowed, gathering the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth.

"Wow."

Mu Chen took a deep breath, feeling the dense spiritual energy entering his body, and couldn't help but praise. No wonder it was a Level 3 Spirit Gathering Array.

"The training time is almost here, let's hurry. The closer to the center of the Spirit Gathering Array, the denser the spiritual energy. We need to find a good spot," Tang Qian'er said, pulling Mu Chen and leading Tan Qing Shan into the training ground.

At this time, the training ground was already filled with many Heaven Rank students. Tang Qian'er was clearly very famous in the Eastern Heaven Rank, and many people looked over when they saw her.

"Who is that guy? He's so close to Tang Qian'er."

"Hehe, you don't even know him? He's Mu Chen, who defeated Liu Yang in the academy exams a few days ago and advanced to the Heaven Rank as the top student of the Earth Rank. It's said that Mu Chen has already reached the Intermediate Spirit Movement Realm."

"Intermediate Spirit Movement Realm? That's pretty strong. His strength can rank quite high in the Heaven Rank..."

"Pretty good, but it's not enough for him to act recklessly in the Heaven Rank... Hey, there are so many people who like Tang Qian'er. Jiang Li and Teng Yong, who are also at the Intermediate Spirit Movement Realm, wouldn't be afraid of causing trouble."

"..."

As they spoke, their gazes couldn't help but turn to another direction in the training ground, where several figures were quietly sitting in meditation. At this moment, their faces were slightly dark, and their dark gazes were fixed on Tang Qian'er, who was pulling Mu Chen.

Mu Chen, pulled by Tang Qian'er, scanned the area and saw all the gazes. He couldn't help but smile helplessly, realizing he had underestimated Tang Qian'er's popularity in the Eastern Heaven Rank.