Chapter Ten: Yingtian Academy

Wei Qing cast his gaze upward, only to find Yun Yi’s inner state shrouded in a blur, as if shielded by some unknown power.

Refusing to accept this, Wei Qing channeled his spiritual energy, letting his consciousness seep inward once more.

"Huh... that is truly strange!"

Wei Qing’s expression turned slightly awkward. As a Golden Core practitioner, failing to probe the inner state of a mere Qi Refining stage youth was quite embarrassing. Hesitant, he finally let out a sigh and turned his attention to the inner states of others.

The test lasted for an hour. The plaza was a scene of vivid emotional turbulence; some wailed in agony, others burst into laughter, while some remained as still as stagnant water. What puzzled Wei Qing was that while he could not read Yun Yi’s mind, the young man’s expression was one of intense anger, bordering on ferocious.

An hour later, the people in the plaza began to wake from their visions, staring blankly at the sky, momentarily disoriented. Yun Yi looked at his own hands, stunned, before letting out a long sigh. In his vision, he had seen the entire Yun family executed, his loved ones torn away from him.

"Now, those I point to step forward and be eliminated. Your mental states are not suited for the Yingtian Academy."

Standing high in the sky, Wei Qing looked down upon the crowd, his booming voice echoing as he used his spiritual energy to single out those who had failed. As one person after another was dismissed, only about two hundred remained—a staggering elimination rate.

A moment later, Wei Qing ceased his selection. Looking at the dazed Yun Yi and the others, he said, "You have all passed this year’s entrance examination for Yingtian Academy. Congratulations."

As his words fell, those who had successfully entered the academy erupted in excitement; some wept with joy, while others were so overcome that they collapsed to the ground.

"Brother Yi, we made it!" Lei Ling'er exclaimed, throwing her arms around Yun Yi in excitement.

Feeling the softness against his chest, Yun Yi felt a bit awkward. Lei Ling'er quickly realized the situation and pulled away, her face flushing bright red. She lowered her head, fidgeting with her sleeves, lost in thought.

"Although you have succeeded, you will be categorized based on your results. The outstanding ones will enter the Inner Court, while the others will go to the Outer Court."

As Wei Qing finished speaking, a screen lit up in the sky, displaying everyone’s names.

"Find your respective departments. Those for the Inner Court, come behind me. Those for the Outer Court, go to him," Wei Qing said, pointing to a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat and carrying a wine gourd.

When Yun Yi looked up at the list and scanned the Inner Court rankings, his brow furrowed—he was not there. After searching for a long time, he finally found his name at the very end of the Outer Court list.

"Brother Yi! I’m in the Inner Court!" Lei Ling'er cheered, tapping Yun Yi’s arm excitedly.

"Hahaha, congratulations, Ling'er! Once you become a master, make sure to protect Brother Yi!" Yun Yi teased, looking at her excitement.

Lei Ling'er did not respond. Upon seeing Yun Yi’s name, her little mouth pouted instantly. She lowered her head and turned to him, "Brother Yi, if you aren't in the Inner Court, I don't want to go either."

Hearing this, Yun Yi felt his head spinning. He scratched his hair and said to her, "Uh... it's fine, Ling'er. You study hard in the Inner Court and become a master, then Brother Yi can follow your lead! By then, you’ll be able to protect me! Don't you trust me and my talent?"

Looking into Lei Ling'er’s clear eyes, he spoke earnestly to comfort her. Seeing that she remained silent and unhappy, he added, "I promise I will come to see you every so often, okay?"

"Hee hee! Okay!" Lei Ling'er had been waiting for those words, and she beamed instantly.

Yun Yi sighed, "Women..."

Just as he was lamenting, a pair of chubby hands patted his shoulder.

"Boss! I'm in the Outer Court too! We can stay together!"

Looking at Qian Duoduo’s eyes, which were curved into crescents with joy, Yun Yi felt a vein throb in his forehead. He looked at Qian Duoduo with a serious, earnest expression:

"Fatty... I don't play for that team!"

Qian Duoduo: "..."

"Since you all know your placements, it’s time to depart!" Wei Qing said, looking toward the man with the wine gourd as he formed hand seals and cast a mark into the sky.

Just as everyone grew curious, a massive shadow appeared in the sky, rapidly growing larger in their field of vision.

"That is!"

"A Blue Rock Eagle! A Tier 4 spirit beast!" someone exclaimed at the sight of the colossal creature.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous crash, the Blue Rock Eagle landed, sending gusts of wind and clouds of dust swirling through the air. Looking at its broad back and sky-covering wings, everyone couldn't help but reveal looks of envy.

"Getting one of these guys would be pretty imposing," Yun Yi muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming.

"Get on!" Wei Qing was the first to land on the beast’s back, beckoning the others.

Once everyone was seated, the Blue Rock Eagle shot forward like an arrow, carving a graceful arc through the sky. As the ground receded further and further away, Yun Yi became more determined to acquire a flying mount of his own—it was simply too cool!

Suddenly, a pair of chubby, strong arms wrapped around him from behind. Turning around, Yun Yi saw Qian Duoduo with his eyes squeezed shut, his whole body trembling.

"Bo... Boss, I... I'm scared!"

Yun Yi felt a headache coming on, caught between laughter and tears. Lei Ling'er found Qian Duoduo’s state hilarious and covered her mouth, giggling, "Then why didn't you sit in the middle?"

"I... I was on the edge when I got on, my... my legs went weak, I can't move!"

Yun Yi: "..."

Lei Ling'er: "-"

Gazing at the sea of clouds and the shrinking mountains below, Yun Yi was filled with emotion. He had truly stepped into the world of cultivation. He couldn't help but recite a poem: "Reaching the summit, all other mountains look small!"

"Summit what? Bird what? What are you mumbling about?"

Suddenly, a voice came from beside him. Yun Yi turned to see a youth with ink-black hair standing next to him.

Qian Mo looked at Yun Yi’s handsome face, his expression twitching slightly as he extended a hand. "Hello, Yun Yi. My name is Qian Mo. I’d like to be your friend."

Looking at the ink-haired boy, Yun Yi pondered for a moment before shaking his hand. "My name is Yun Yi. I'd be happy to be friends."

As the words were spoken, the two looked at each other in an awkward silence. Suddenly, a small, chubby hand reached out from behind Yun Yi, waving as it said, "He... hello! My... my name is Qian Duoduo! I'm so happy to be your friend!"

Qian Mo: "..."

...

Time passed quickly. Yun Yi, Lei Ling'er, and Qian Duoduo became friends with Qian Mo. To Yun Yi’s surprise, Qian Duoduo and Qian Mo hit it off immediately, as if they were long-lost brothers; the two didn't stop smiling for the entire journey.

Suddenly, the Blue Rock Eagle began to slow down. A magnificent, sprawling mountain range appeared before their eyes.

"Wow! Is this one of the four great academies of the Eastern Region!"

Listening to the gasps around him and looking at the towering Yingtian Academy ahead, even Yun Yi’s sturdy heart couldn't help but skip a beat. His eyes filled with shock as he whispered, "Is this truly a power possessed by humans!"