The Mo Alliance occupied a wide expanse of flat land in the outer court, with a few buildings that, while not numerous, were quite splendid.
The top two figures of the Mo Alliance, Mo Chang and Mo Yi, both in their early twenties, had reached Heavenly Martial Eighth Layer and Ninth Layer respectively, clearly marking them as geniuses of a certain calibre in the world.
At that moment, within the Mo Alliance, besides more than thirty disciples welcoming the pair, several factions had come to offer congratulations.
These factions included those ranked below twentieth in the outer court, eager to ingratiate themselves, as well as the leader of the nineteenth-ranked Yang Alliance, Ouyang Tian, and the Yang Alliance’s third-in-command, Ouyang Hao.
Though the Yang Alliance claimed to be there to celebrate, both sides knew full well they were there to probe for weaknesses.
After all, the Yang Alliance ranked one spot above the Mo Alliance, giving them a slight edge, but if Mo Yi had broken through to Heavenly Martial Ninth Layer and become a three-star disciple, the Mo Alliance could turn the tables.
Ouyang Tian, after all, had only half-stepped into Heavenly Martial Ninth Layer, not yet fully breaking through to become a three-star disciple.
Among geniuses, a single layer’s difference could widen the gap significantly, and crossing tiers against peers of equal talent was far from easy.
“Congratulations, Brother Mo Yi, on becoming a true three-star disciple!” Ouyang Tian greeted Mo Chang and Mo Yi with a forced smile as they strode proudly back into the Mo Alliance.
“Just a fluke breakthrough. I didn’t expect even the Yang Alliance to show up uninvited today—quite a rare sight!” Mo Yi replied, his face tinged with mockery as he looked at Ouyang Tian.
The Mo Alliance and Yang Alliance had always been at odds. His strength had been slightly below Ouyang Tian’s, but now, surging ahead let him vent a long-held grudge. Soon, the faction rankings might shift.
Hearing this, Ouyang Tian’s expression cooled slightly—Mo Yi’s words gave the Yang Alliance little respect.
“Hmph, Mo Yi, even if you’ve reached Heavenly Martial Ninth Layer, don’t think you can touch my Yang Alliance!” Ouyang Hao thought with a flash of cold light in his eyes, sneering inwardly.
“We couldn’t wait to see Brother Mo Yi’s breakthrough. Surely the Mo Alliance isn’t so stingy as to bar entry?” Ouyang Tian responded, his tone laced with sarcasm.
“Of course not!” Mo Yi’s lips curled into a sardonic smirk. Ignoring Ouyang Tian, he turned to two others nearby. “Brother Chen, Brother Lu, your strength must have improved quite a bit too, right?”
Standing not far from Ouyang Tian were Chen Wei and Lu Hong, leaders of factions ranked just below the Mo Alliance. They usually stayed out of the Mo and Yang Alliances’ disputes.
“Nothing like Brother Mo Yi’s speed—congratulations!”
“Indeed, Brother Mo Yi’s talent far outshines ours. We’ll need more time to reach three-star status,” Chen Wei and Lu Hong said with polite smiles.
Mo Yi smiled faintly. He didn’t care for flattery, but outpacing these near-equals felt deeply satisfying.
But when he saw Mo Xuan and the Mo Alliance crew looking glum, his expression shifted. Scanning the group, he frowned. “If I’m not mistaken, the Ninth Prince should be here by now. Where is he?”
He’d known of Mo Jiu Xiao’s arrival at Shengyuan Academy before his retreat in Thunder Qi Tower. Though he led the Mo Alliance, he understood their true backer was the Third Prince, Mo Jiu Tian, whose presence kept top outer court factions from troubling them.
If the Ninth Prince arrived, leadership would pass to him. With the trial three months away, Mo Yi was ready to become an inner court disciple.
Mo Xuan’s face twisted bitterly as he lowered his head. “Big Brother…”
“Speak!” Mo Yi’s tone chilled.
Mo Jiu Xiao was Mo Jiu Tian’s full brother, with talent matching his sibling’s—a rising hope for the Mo Yu Empire. Any mishap could shake the royal family, and Mo Yi couldn’t face Mo Jiu Tian if something went wrong.
“The Third Prince didn’t come to Shengyuan Academy. His Shengyuan Token ended up with a young man from the Lanlan Empire,” Mo Xuan mumbled, head bowed in shame.
A sharp sound escaped as a frigid aura burst from Mo Yi, silencing the scene.
Everyone felt the chill, staring at Mo Yi in shock. They didn’t fully grasp what the Third Prince meant, but his reaction made it clear—this was vital to the Mo Alliance.
The Yang Alliance, though, secretly rejoiced. Ouyang Tian and Ouyang Hao’s eyes glinted with barely hidden delight.
Weren’t you so smug? Now someone’s finally knocked the Mo Alliance down a peg!
“Find out anything?” After a pause, Mo Yi growled through gritted teeth.
Mo Xuan’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Big Brother, I… I lost to him.”
“What?” Mo Yi’s gaze sharpened, his aura growing colder. Beside him, the quiet Mo Chang’s face darkened too. Even he couldn’t dismiss the Ninth Prince’s importance.
“Where is he?” Mo Yi asked, voice steady after a pause.
“At Dragon Tiger Mountain!” Mo Xuan replied.
“Everyone, with me!” Cold killing intent radiated as Mo Yi turned and strode out, the Mo Alliance crew rallying behind him.
The congratulatory crowd froze. The Mo Alliance’s joy had turned sour.
Ouyang Tian and Ouyang Hao exchanged a glance, a flicker of glee in their eyes.
“No need for you to go!” Just as they stepped forward, a clear voice rang out from afar—not loud, but piercing every ear in the Mo Alliance grounds.
Then, a dense mass of figures appeared. At the front marched a group of over a dozen, followed by a scattered throng.
Hundreds strong, they wore gleeful expressions, some whispering among themselves—clearly tagging along for the spectacle.
Leading the bold vanguard was a young man of sixteen or seventeen, the one who’d spoken.
“That’s him—he took the Ninth Prince’s Shengyuan Token!” Mo Fei shouted from the Mo Alliance crowd, pointing at Lin Xiao in fury.
He remembered vividly how Lin Xiao had chased him off on his first day.
