Upon entering Qingxu Academy, Ling Xiao didn’t rush to train in new martial techniques. The mysteries of the Light and Shadow Inheritance alone kept him busy enough.
Even with his Mountain and River Martial Soul, he couldn’t fully grasp its intricacies quickly.
As the saying goes, a fall teaches wisdom. Having dabbled too broadly before, he now aimed to focus.
“Ling Xiao, you’re finally back! I won’t ask where you’ve been, but as they say, if you don’t advance, you fall behind. With the Divine Phoenix Academy gaining momentum after the emperor’s public alliance with the True Demon Empire, many sea tribes have joined them. Our Qingxu Academy faces greater resistance at the Heavenly Origin Tower,” Feng Yanran said, visibly relieved to see Ling Xiao.
She’d been anxious during his two-day absence, knowing full well the Ghost Mask’s true identity.
No guesswork needed.
Seeing him return, her worries eased.
“Qingxu Academy won’t be driven out of the Heavenly Origin Tower, will it? That’d be too weak,” Ling Xiao said, frowning.
“Of course not. In fact, Qingxu Academy holds an edge in the tower’s upper levels, but the lower levels are dominated by the Divine Phoenix Academy,” Feng Yanran explained. “Recently, they’ve been active, recruiting many Heavenly Vein Warriors and Heavenly Realm cultivators, monopolising the first three floors’ training rooms, leaving no space for our new students.”
“What’s the strength of the warriors on these first three floors?” Ling Xiao asked.
“Mostly Heavenly Vein Warriors and those at the First Line Heaven and Two Polarities Heaven realms,” Feng Yanran replied.
“That’s manageable,” Ling Xiao said, relieved. If it was just this level, he could handle it.
But one thing puzzled him. “Don’t the upper-level warriors intervene in lower-level disputes?”
“There’s no explicit rule, but there’s an unspoken code: disputes stay within the same level. If upper-level warriors bully those below, it breaks the code, sparking group fights between the academies,” Feng Yanran explained.
“Got it. Let’s head to the Heavenly Origin Tower. I’m eager to boost my cultivation. That place sounds perfect,” Ling Xiao said, wasting no time. He leapt up, heading toward the tower.
Only up close did the Heavenly Origin Tower’s marvel become clear.
It was like a giant magnet, drawing in surrounding spiritual energy like iron filings, making the area’s spiritual density far higher than elsewhere, ideal for cultivation.
Even more remarkable, the tower was reinforced with multiple arrays, not only absorbing ambient spiritual energy but also generating it from the essence of the sun and moon.
The spiritual energy here was richer and more constant than many spiritual veins.
“The Divine Phoenix Empire’s Heavenly Origin Tower is nearly as good as the Five Immortal Islands’ secret training grounds. The seven Martial Sect Islands and the Black Raven Empire are quite envious,” Feng Yanran explained.
“Look, they’re here too,” Ling Xiao said, spotting Lan Yuer, Ying Wuya, Long Chen, and other Qingxu Academy disciples nearby.
Despite being at the tower’s base, they couldn’t enter to train, their faces grim.
“The Heavenly Origin Tower has ten private training rooms and one large training room per floor. Private rooms are best, offering solitude and exclusive access to spiritual energy. The large room’s effectiveness drops with more people,” Feng Yanran explained as they walked. “The Divine Phoenix Academy has taken twenty-five of the thirty private rooms on the first three floors and bars our disciples from the large rooms. They’re incredibly overbearing.”
“Doesn’t the royal family intervene?” Ling Xiao asked.
“They never meddle in disputes between the academies. Even if they did, they’d favour the Divine Phoenix Academy. With Qingxu at a disadvantage on the lower floors, they turn a blind eye,” Feng Yanran said indignantly.
“If that’s the case, it’s simple,” Ling Xiao said. He respected rules, but if others broke them first, he saw no need to comply.
If the Divine Phoenix Academy was going to be domineering and unreasonable, he’d be even more so.
“Ling Xiao, you’re here!” Ji Mingkong was the first to notice him and Feng Yanran.
Ling Xiao nodded slightly. The moment he stepped into the tower’s training range, he felt the terrifying spiritual energy seeping from it.
Many Qingxu disciples, unable to access training rooms, cultivated nearby. Though less effective than the rooms, it was better than other places.
“Ji Mingkong, with your strength, you could seize a private training room. Why haven’t you?” Ling Xiao asked, eyeing the Divine Phoenix Academy warriors guarding the rooms.
The strongest among them were only Two Polarities Heaven realm, and with Ji Mingkong’s strength and Heavenly Mechanism Martial Soul, he should prevail.
“Waiting for you!” Ji Mingkong said with a smile.
“No need to wait now. Zhao Zhi, Zhao Ci, Leng Hao, Yu Ling, Yao Ling, Ying Wuya, you six take action. If they won’t let you use the large training room, take the private ones. With your current strength, it should be no problem, right?”
After the ordeal on the Heavenly Dragon Continent, fortune followed misfortune. Though they suffered, the group’s cultivation had surged.
Dai Yuling, Dai Yaoling, and Leng Hao now matched Ling Xiao’s level as Breakthrough Stage Heavenly Vein Warriors.
Zhao Zhi, Zhao Ci, and Ying Wuya were slightly behind, at Growth Stage Heavenly Vein Warrior level.
Lan Yuer had surpassed Ling Xiao, whose cultivation had regressed, reaching First Line Heaven.
Ji Mingkong was the fiercest, at the peak of Two Polarities Heaven, close to Three Talents Heaven.
“Got it!” With Ling Xiao as their backbone, the six didn’t hesitate and sprang into action.
The Divine Phoenix Academy’s guards on the first floor, with the strongest being Breakthrough Stage Heavenly Vein Warriors, were no match and were swiftly defeated.
The group discovered that eight of the ten private rooms were empty.
The Divine Phoenix Academy was hogging resources without using them.
“Why aren’t they training in the rooms they’ve taken?” Ling Xiao asked, puzzled.
“The large training room is less effective but free. Private rooms cost one hundred low-grade spirit stones per day for the first floor. Many find it too expensive and don’t bother,” Feng Yanran explained.
Hearing this, Ling Xiao cursed, “No wonder. These Divine Phoenix Academy warriors are despicable. Too broke to train themselves, they block others. They deserve a beating!”
