The Academy Competition had ended, but the excitement it brought still enveloped the Northern Spiritual Academy. For several days afterward, everyone in the Earth Branch of the Northern Spiritual Academy was still enthusiastically discussing the fierce battle between the two branches that day.
In the Northern Spiritual Academy, if not for the incident regarding the Spiritual Road, Mu Chen would not have been very prominent. Although his background was not bad, there was still a significant gap in reputation compared to a dazzling figure like Liu Yang. When the two faced off, not many people had high expectations for Mu Chen.
But unexpectedly, the outcome they had dismissed actually came to pass.
Mu Chen, who had seemed to be at a disadvantage, overbearingly defeated Liu Yang, claiming the number one rank in the Earth Branch and successfully promoting to the Heaven Branch. Furthermore, everyone knew very well that with a strength at the Middle Stage of the Spiritual Movement Stage, he would certainly hold a decent rank even within the Heaven Branch of the Northern Spiritual Academy.
This caused many to sigh inwardly; Mu Chen obtaining the sole qualification in the Northern Spiritual Realm to enter the Spiritual Road was not as unbelievable as people had previously thought.
In the Northern Spiritual Academy, the Heaven Branch was where the most outstanding disciples gathered. To enter the Heaven Branch, the key prerequisite was to possess the strength of the Spiritual Movement Stage. In other words, even the weakest person in the Heaven Branch had the strength of the Initial Stage of the Spiritual Movement Stage.
Every disciple of the Earth Branch strove with the goal of promoting to the Heaven Branch. This was because it was also the only stepping stone to cross the bridge into the Five Great Academies. Only by promoting to the Heaven Branch would one have the qualification to compete for a spot in the Five Great Academies.
The selection process of the Five Great Academies was extremely harsh. The prerequisite was that a disciple had to reach the Spiritual Rotation Stage before the age of eighteen. This condition alone made countless youths shrink back.
Currently, in the Heaven Branch of the Northern Spiritual Academy, there were no more than five people who met this requirement.
From this, one could see how terrifying those selected by the Five Great Academies were. However, despite such harsh conditions, there were still countless extraordinarily talented youths who threw themselves into the fire like moths to a flame, striving to compete. This was because the Five Great Academies were incredibly powerful, a fact that even Mu Chen understood very well. Although the Northern Spiritual Realm seemed vast, in the eyes of the Five Great Academies, it was no different from an ant. The Territory Lords here, at most, only possessed the strength of the Spirit Stage. Compared to that strength, any random instructor from the Five Great Academies would easily surpass it.
Within the Five Great Academies, true supreme powerhouses existed—super figures who could level mountains and overturn seas with a mere wave of their hands.
For talented youths like Mu Chen, if they wanted to stand out among the endless waves of monstrous geniuses in the Great Thousand World without guidance, training alone would make it difficult to be polished into a fine gem. Like rough jade, it required the meticulous carving of a master to reveal its brilliant luster. Naturally, such high-level education was something the Northern Spiritual Academy did not possess, nor did Mu Chen's father.
If his mother were around, Mu Chen thought, perhaps she could have. Unfortunately...
Therefore, the Five Great Academies were a stepping stone he had to cross on his path to becoming a powerhouse.
…
"Hey, you two, hurry up! Today is our first time going to the Heaven Branch to cultivate, yet you're still taking your sweet time."
On a small stone-paved path shaded by trees, Tang Qian'er looked back at the two youths behind her with a look of dissatisfaction and shouted.
Mu Chen looked at Tang Qian'er's slender and graceful figure ahead, but replied in a lazy manner:
"What's the rush... isn't there still time?"
"Idiot! If you're this slow, by the time we get there, the best cultivation grounds will already be taken."
Tang Qian'er rolled her eyes and scolded Mu Chen.
Mu Chen shook his head helplessly, while Tan Qingshan beside him could only scratch his head:
"Mu Chen, we should listen to Senior Sister Qian'er and hurry up."
Looking at the graceful figure in front of them, Tan Qingshan, who was usually quiet and solemn, couldn't help but blush.
Mu Chen looked at his flushed face in surprise and couldn't help but tease with a smile, "Do you like Sister Qian'er?"
Tan Qingshan's face turned even redder, and beads of sweat even began to break out on his forehead.
*Smack!*
Before Mu Chen could say anything else, Tang Qian'er turned around in annoyance and kicked him in the knee.
"Keep talking nonsense and see if I don't beat you black and blue!"
Tang Qian'er glared at him, her willow-like eyebrows arched high.
The sharp pain in his knee made Mu Chen grimace. Seeing that Tang Qian'er was genuinely angry, he quickly coughed and ran ahead. "Alright, let's hurry to the training grounds."
Tang Qian'er gave a soft snort and said as she walked, "You guys have just entered the Heaven Branch and are considered newcomers, so be careful from now on. The Heaven Branch is very troublesome, and there are many annoying show-offs. Even though your father is the Mu Territory Lord, many people in the Northern Spiritual Academy don't care about that."
"Sister Qian'er, do you think I'm the type to use my father's influence to bully others?" Mu Chen replied with a soft chuckle.
Tang Qian'er thought about it and tapped her forehead. Indeed, in the Northern Spiritual Academy, Mu Chen had never once brought up his father's status. His reputation had been earned entirely on his own.
"It's good that you know..." Tang Qian'er said in a huff.
"Besides, there are many slick characters in the Heaven Branch. You should know that, so don't go looking for trouble. They have no hope of advancing further, which is exactly why they are so troublesome."
Mu Chen nodded. He knew what Tang Qian'er meant by "slick characters." These were the ones who weren't qualified to enter the Five Great Academies but hadn't left the Northern Spiritual Academy yet—essentially, the veteran students who were just loitering around.
Because they were over eighteen and had still not reached the Spiritual Rotation Stage, they had lost their eligibility to join the Five Great Academies. Having lost their goal, they slacked off and loitered around, waiting to be expelled. Consequently, they didn't care about the rules of the Northern Spiritual Academy, and normally, no one wanted to provoke them.
"I don't like to provoke others either." Mu Chen shook his head and said no more. However, Tang Qian'er, who had known him for a long time, understood him well. He wouldn't provoke others, but if anyone dared to provoke him, this seemingly gentle youth would show them why one should never judge a book by its cover.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you. In the East Division of the Heaven Branch, I'm not afraid of anyone." Tang Qian'er covered her mouth and giggled, her smile as beautiful as a blooming flower, incredibly captivating.
Seeing the two of them chatting and laughing so intimately, Tan Qingshan didn't interrupt and simply followed them quietly.
The three of them headed toward the eastern part of the Northern Spiritual Academy. After ten minutes, they finally stopped. Looking ahead, a massive grand hall appeared before them. Outside the hall, a bustling crowd of students was hurrying inside.
Mu Chen stared at the grand hall, a look of surprise in his eyes. He could feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth being drawn to this area, surging and gathering into the hall before them. The concentration inside must be even denser.
"Is this... a Spiritual Convergence Array?" Mu Chen asked.
Tang Qian'er nodded and said proudly, "This cultivation hall is a restricted area of the Northern Spiritual Academy. Only students of the Heaven Branch are qualified to enter. The academy spent a fortune to invite a Spiritual Array Master from the Five Great Academies to set up a Rank 3 Spiritual Convergence Array. This is the only Rank 3 Spiritual Convergence Array in our Northern Spiritual Academy."
"A Rank 3 Spiritual Convergence Array?"
Mu Chen licked his lips. A Spirit Gathering Array was a type of array that was extremely beneficial for cultivation. As the young master of the Mu Territory, he naturally knew the immense value of a Rank 3 Spirit Gathering Array. Even his own Mu Territory lacked the funds to construct one. Putting aside the massive amount of precious materials required, just inviting a Spiritual Array Master demanded a formidable level of influence. For the Northern Spiritual Academy to be able to invite one, they must have relied on quite a few past favors.
"I heard that in the Five Great Academies, they even have Rank 6 Spirit Gathering Arrays and higher. Cultivating there, the speed is simply incomparable to the outside world."
Tang Qian'er spoke with a slightly dazed expression. A mere Rank 3 Spirit Gathering Array already felt incredibly powerful to her; she truly could not imagine the legendary Rank 6 Spirit Gathering Array.
"Once you enter the Five Great Academies, you'll naturally be able to enjoy it. Let's go, let's head inside."
Mu Chen smiled and took the lead, walking toward the most precious grand hall in the Northern Spiritual Academy.
Passing through the heavily guarded main gates, the first thing that caught his eye was a spacious plaza. The plaza was covered with massive stone platforms, which were covered in intricate spiritual runes that flickered with light, drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the outside.
Mu Chen took a light breath, feeling the abundant spiritual energy flow into his body with his inhalation. He couldn't help but marvel inwardly; a Rank 3 Spirit Gathering Array was indeed extraordinary.
"The cultivation session is about to start, let's hurry. The spiritual energy is even denser at the center of the array, let's find a good spot."
Tang Qian'er pulled Mu Chen along, leading Tan Qingshan as they stepped onto the cultivation grounds.
Quite a few students of the Heaven Branch were already standing in the courtyard. With Tang Qian'er's beauty, she was naturally very famous in the East Division's Heaven Branch. Upon seeing her, many envious gazes were cast their way.
"Who is that kid? How can he be so close to Tang Qian'er?"
"Haha, you don't even know him? That's Mu Chen. In the last academy assessment, he defeated Liu Yang, claiming the title of number one in the Earth Branch and promoting to our Heaven Branch. I heard this Mu Chen has already reached the Mid-stage Spiritual Movement Stage."
"Mid-stage Spiritual Movement Stage? That's pretty impressive. Even in the Heaven Branch, that rank isn't low..."
"It's indeed not bad, but it's still not enough for him to act without restraint in the Heaven Branch... Heh, who knows how many guys here dream of Tang Qian'er day and night? Jiang Li, Teng Yong—who among them hasn't reached the Mid-stage Spiritual Movement Stage? This kid doesn't seem to mind trouble at all."
...
Quite a few whispers echoed around, and their gazes also drifted toward a certain corner of the cultivation grounds. Over there, several figures were sitting cross-legged in silence, though their expressions were currently rather gloomy. And at the end of those dark glares was Mu Chen, who was being pulled along by Tang Qian'er's hand.
Following Tang Qian'er, Mu Chen swept his gaze around, taking everything in. He smiled helplessly; it seemed he now knew just how much attention Tang Qian'er attracted in the East Division's Heaven Branch.