Chapter 5

As Wang Baole fainted in a mix of sorrow and anger, in the real world, a red hot airship was flying at an extremely fast speed, approaching the territory of Ethereal City.

However, at this moment, the main cabin of the airship was in a state of chaos.

"This Wang Baole, our Alchemy Department wants him!"

"Don't any of you compete with my Martial Arts Department for him, he's mine!" Almost all the teachers were red-faced and neck-swollen, pounding the table and arguing, clamoring for Wang Baole to join their respective departments after he entered the Dao Academy.

All of this was due to Wang Baole's self-sacrifice, which had a profound impact on them. His bloodied and mangled body moved them deeply, and his words struck their hearts like thunder, especially the last sentence, which stirred a violent wave in their hearts!

"Born for the Dao Academy, dead for the Dao Academy's soul!"

The bravery and loyalty conveyed by these words were what the Dao Academy and its various departments most desired in a student. How could they let him go to others?

In the midst of this competition, a thin, middle-aged teacher with a goatee, seeing that he could not win, red-eyed, took out his identity jade card from his chest, infused it with spiritual energy, and roared loudly.

"Our Dharmic Armament Department will use our once-in-five-years authority to designate Wang Baole as a specially recruited student of our department. Who dares to compete with me?"

As soon as he spoke, the jade card in his hand shone brightly, and in an instant, the words "Dharmic Armament Department" appeared after Wang Baole's name on the crystal screen.

This scene shocked everyone. This authority was extremely precious. Generally, after students entered the Dao Academy, the teachers would review whether the students they wanted to join their departments were qualified. Only a few students would be offered an olive branch proactively.

However, this choice was always mutual, except for the once-in-five-years authority that each department had. This authority allowed them to directly designate a student as a member of their department, with almost luxurious treatment and resources, as well as some privileges far exceeding their peers, almost like passing on the mantle.

Because of this, this authority was usually given to students with special backgrounds or those who were exceptionally outstanding, making it incredibly precious.

Although Wang Baole was excellent, the other teachers still hesitated to use such authority for him, and they all couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake their heads.

Seeing the expressions of his colleagues, the goatee felt that he had made the right decision this time. He thought that with Wang Baole's character, if properly cultivated, his loyalty to the Dharmic Armament Department would be unwavering.

"Even the best talent can betray, but character and loyalty are priceless. Only such disciples will step forward in critical moments, making the cultivation worthwhile!" Thinking this, the goatee became smug and looked at the old physician, who was frowning and studying Wang Baole's file.

"Dean, our Dharmic Armament Department has used our authority to designate Wang Baole. Don't be partial."

"Don't worry, he's yours now. Just don't regret it." The old physician continued to look at the file in front of him, speaking calmly. For the Ethereal Dao Academy, they had extremely detailed records of each student from childhood to adulthood. As he read a sentence in the file, his eyes gradually sharpened.

"Dean, you..." The goatee was stunned, and the other teachers were also taken aback.

"Once, he went on a month-long diet, not eating or drinking, and exercised frantically, but his weight increased instead of decreasing... This impossible thing for a normal person actually happened to him." The old physician sneered and flipped through the physical data of the students in the Dream Maze, focusing on Wang Baole's weight changes after entering the assessment.

"If I'm not mistaken, Wang Baole knew this was a virtual world and was aware of the assessment. He was cheating!" The old physician said firmly, raising his head.

"That's impossible..." The goatee gasped, clutching his chest, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Whether he cheated or not, a test will reveal the truth." The old physician looked at Wang Baole on the crystal screen, raised his right hand, and manipulated the maze, waving it suddenly.

Instantly, in the maze world, the survivors who had just escaped a crisis, before their joy had even faded, were suddenly hit by a deafening roar from the forest in front of them, sweeping over them like a storm.

The sound waves destroyed the trees, causing the ground to tremble, and a giant bear, about ten zhang in size, emerged from the ground, roaring to the sky.

The bear's body was half-rotten, but its eyes glowed with ghostly fire, as if it were immortal. After appearing, it emitted a pressure that made everyone's hearts tremble, like the ruler of the forest, causing countless birds and beasts to shiver in fear.

"This... This is impossible, oh my God, that's... an Ancient Barbarian Ghost Bear!"

"It can tear apart a second-layer Ancient Martial Arts expert and is on par with a fully accomplished Ancient Martial Arts expert... an Ancient Barbarian Ghost Bear!!"

Liu Daobin's body went limp, the little rabbit, Du Min, and the others all showed extreme fear in their eyes, even the red-clothed youth's face changed.

Even more shocking was that after roaring, the ghost bear charged directly at the group, each step causing the ground to shake, its momentum overwhelming.

"Run fast!!" Someone shouted, and the group instinctively scattered, even the red-clothed youth, pale-faced, gave up and retreated quickly.

Only Wang Baole, who had just been jolted awake from his faint, saw the ferocious bear and his eyes lit up. His originally weak body began to heave.

"Surprisingly, there are bonus points!!"

Excited, Wang Baole struggled to crawl towards the bear, shouting.

"Everyone, run! Don't worry about me, I'll buy you time!" Wang Baole said, picking up a stone and throwing it at the approaching bear.

"Old bear, come eat me! As long as I, Wang Baole, have a breath left, I won't let you harm my classmates!" Wang Baole roared, and the fleeing students were moved to tears, many of the girls crying.

Seeing the bear's massive body charging towards Wang Baole, about to tear him apart, the old physician in the main cabin of the airship sneered.

"See that? The boy's eyes are filled with excitement. Who has ever seen someone about to die look so eager, afraid of not dying?"

Looking at Wang Baole on the screen, the other teachers all had strange expressions. If viewed normally, Wang Baole was heroic, but if viewed with suspicion, his flaws were obvious.

"This boy is too shameless!"

"Cheating is one thing, but to act so over-the-top!"

The teachers in the main cabin were also annoyed, and the goatee was gnashing his teeth, regretting his decision, his heart bleeding, almost ready to beat his chest.

"Heaven, my authority!!"

Finally, the old physician waved his right hand again, and the crystal screen shattered, all the images disappearing.

"Alright, we're about to land at the Dao Academy. The assessment is over!"

As the Dream Maze collapsed, the last thing Wang Baole saw was the bear blocking the sky, then the world turned murky and dark.

When his consciousness returned, he felt a sudden jolt, as if a powerful force was pushing him. Opening his eyes, he found himself back in the cultivation room of the airship, hearing the astonished and incredulous exclamations of the others.

"This... We were in the Chiyun Rainforest, how did this happen!"

"Was I dreaming, or were we all dreaming?"

Wang Baole blinked, quickly putting on a bewildered look and shouting loudly.

"Everyone, run! Don't worry about me, I'll fight the old bear!"

His voice was so loud, and due to his heroic actions in the maze, it was hard not to draw attention. As he shouted, countless eyes immediately fell on Wang Baole, especially his classmates, who were moved.

"It's Brother Wang Baole!"

"Good brother!!"

"Wang Baole, from now on, you're my big brother!"

In their eyes, Du Min and the little rabbit, who had just survived, looked at Wang Baole differently, especially the little rabbit, whose eyes were filled with tears, as if she would have rushed over if not for the magnetic spirit suit and the distance.

All of this made Wang Baole extremely smug. As he was thinking about how to harvest the admiration of the others, a stern voice echoed in the cultivation room.

"Students, below you is the Dao Academy. What you just experienced was the new student assessment of the Ethereal Dao Academy. Your performance will be counted towards your credits... Finally, welcome to the Ethereal Dao Academy!"

Perhaps the stern voice calmed the students, or perhaps the news that they were approaching the Dao Academy lifted their spirits. They all recovered from their dreams and looked out the windows.

Wang Baole, though a bit disappointed, couldn't hide his excitement. Looking out the window, he immediately saw a huge lake below, like a mirror reflecting the sky, beautiful beyond measure.

In the lake were three islands, arranged in a line. Boats could be seen sailing between the islands, and as they approached, ancient buildings and countless figures could be seen on the islands.

Especially the outermost island, which seemed to have tens of thousands of people, like a small city.

"Our Ethereal Dao Academy, formerly known as the Academy, was founded in 2348 AD, has experienced the Federation era, participated in the Beast War, and entered the Spirit Era, changing from a school to a Dao Academy. It has a history of over 700 years, cultivating countless outstanding talents and heroes, making significant contributions to the progress of civilization. The last Federation president graduated from the Ethereal Dao Academy."

"The lake you see is called the Greenwood Lake, symbolizing the vibrant youth, like a joyful shepherd."

"As for the three islands, they are the core Tianxing Island, the Upper Academy Island for True Breath Daoists, and the Lower Academy Island for you students, each embodying the Ethereal Dao Academy's mission: to change the heavens and earth above, and to bring peace to the people below."

The stern voice echoed in the cultivation room, filled with pride, stirring the hearts of the students, including Wang Baole, who were all moved by the Ethereal Dao Academy's prestige and heritage.

As the Lower Academy Island rapidly grew larger in their view, they could see that the largest island had over a dozen towering peaks, like sharp swords piercing the sky.

On each peak were countless buildings, and large characters, clear even from the sky.

Dharmic Armament Department, Alchemy Department, Martial Arts Department, Array Pattern Department...

Before they could see everything, with a loud boom, the airship, which had traveled thousands of miles from Phoenix City, landed on the Lower Academy Island of the Ethereal Dao Academy!

The Ethereal Dao Academy had arrived!

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There will be a third update later, a Children's Day gift for everyone today!

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