Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 419 419: The Number One Academy in the Central Region, Central Celestial Academy

Xia Chengkai gave Ye Qingchen a few more instructions, then let him continue his cultivation in peace to prepare for the upcoming trial. He assured Ye Qingchen that he would be notified the moment the representative from Central Celestial Academy arrived.

On the other side, Feng Xiao also received the news and promptly pulled Feng Yuan from his closed-door cultivation.

After refining the Heavenly God Fruit, Feng Yuan's strength had skyrocketed to the fifth level of the Martial King Realm. This was not only due to the potent energy contained within the fruit but also because it improved a martial artist's physique and aptitude. It released the energy that had been stagnant within his body, which allowed him to break through four successive realms to reach his current level.

If anyone else had taken the Heavenly God Fruit, the increase in strength might not have been nearly as significant. Take Ye Qingchen, for example. His cultivation technique was already at the Divine Level, and the spiritual energy in his body had been tempered a thousand times over by the Fen Tian Earth Fire. His aptitude had also reached an inhuman level. Even if he were to consume a Heavenly God Fruit, he would at most advance by a single level.

Seeing his son reach the fifth level of the Martial King Realm, Feng Xiao nodded in slight satisfaction and said to Feng Yuan, "The representative from Central Celestial Academy will arrive in Northern Barrier City the day after tomorrow. I've been informed that this recruitment trial will take place within the Beisai Secret Realm. All martial artists under thirty years of age can participate. Moreover, Central Celestial Academy has already sent people to modify the secret realm, and the first two to pass through it will become students of the academy. You must seize this opportunity!"

Feng Yuan nodded emphatically. As his strength had grown, so too had his mindset. With my current aptitude, staying in Northern Barrier City forever would be an insult, wouldn't it? The Central Region! That's the holy land every martial artist yearns for, and Central Celestial Academy is the top academy there. If I can cultivate at a place like that, I'm sure to soar to great heights in the future!

Watching his son, who was now brimming with fighting spirit, Feng Xiao felt immensely gratified. He took a small booklet from his storage ring and handed it to Feng Yuan, instructing, "This contains records of Central Celestial Academy's past disciple selections, as well as some information about the Beisai Secret Realm. Even though the secret realm has been modified by the academy, the fundamentals remain the same. Study this material carefully; it will give you a better chance. And rest assured, I will continue to gather intelligence and rally support for you. Not all the martial artists entering the trial are aiming to become disciples of Central Celestial Academy; most of them know their own limits."

"Thank you, Father!"

Feng Yuan nodded, gave Feng Xiao a respectful bow, and returned to his room to begin studying the materials his father had given him.

The news of Central Celestial Academy's impending recruitment spread quickly. The disciples from every major clan and minor power were all eagerly gearing up, preparing for a fierce contest.

Liu Changrun, the man in charge of this recruitment for Central Celestial Academy, was shocked by the enthusiasm of the martial artists upon his arrival in Northern Barrier City. He had initially assumed that Northern Barrier City, located in the remote Northern Region at the junction of two major domains, would be utterly chaotic. Although Liu Changrun had never been here before, he had steeled himself for the worst. If not for the Sect's direct order to grant Northern Barrier City two spots, he probably would have avoided visiting this barbaric place altogether.

Liu Changrun first inspected the Beisai Secret Realm to ensure all its mechanisms were intact. He then headed to Northern Barrier City, ready to meet the city lord and plan their next steps.

Upon entering the city, Liu Changrun saw hundreds of millions of martial artists streaming by, all of them discussing the upcoming trial in the Beisai Secret Realm. This pleased him greatly. He realized his prejudice against Northern Barrier City had been unfounded; the city's prosperity far exceeded his expectations. Because of this, Liu Changrun took a special tour around the city and, to his delight, discovered several martial artists with excellent aptitude, which put him in a great mood.

However, Feng Xiao and Xia Chengkai, waiting anxiously at the City Lord's Mansion, were growing restless. The representative from Central Celestial Academy should have arrived in the morning, but it was already afternoon, and there was still no sign of him. Could there have been a change in plans?

Just as the two were wrestling with this possibility, Liu Changrun finally made his belated arrival.

The heavily guarded City Lord's Mansion was nothing to Liu Changrun. He strolled right in as if taking a leisurely walk in a garden, completely unnoticed by the guards. It wasn't until he appeared right in front of Feng Xiao and Xia Chengkai that they snapped to their senses and promptly bowed in greeting.

Liu Changrun waved his hand, indicating they could dispense with the formalities.

Feng Xiao had already arranged for a feast and quickly had Liu Changrun seated. Seeing how amiable Liu Changrun was, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it was common knowledge that people from the Central Region looked down on martial artists from the other four regions. This was especially true for someone representing Central Celestial Academy, a position of even greater prestige. He had been worried that Liu Changrun would be difficult upon his arrival, but from the looks of it, that wasn't going to be the case.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Liu Changrun finally spoke, "I am grateful for the cooperation of both city lords in this recruitment for Central Celestial Academy."

Feng Xiao and Xia Chengkai smiled courteously, insisting it was merely their duty.

Liu Changrun then continued, "I took a look around the city today, and it was slightly different from what I had anticipated. I originally thought there would be a thousand participants at most, but from what I saw today, it seems there will be at least ten thousand!"

Feng Xiao nodded. Northern Barrier City had a massive population, and Central Celestial Academy's only conditions were being under thirty years old with no gender restrictions. This encouraged most people to try their luck. Even if they weren't chosen, there was no loss; they could just treat it as a new experience.

Feng Xiao said to Liu Changrun, "Senior Liu, I've already had the participants registered. So far, we have over fourteen thousand applicants, and the registration is still ongoing. What are your thoughts?"

Liu Changrun nodded, impressed that Feng Xiao had been so proactive as to handle the preparations before his arrival. "City Lord Feng has been most thoughtful," he said, pleased. "Here is my decision: registration will close tomorrow. The selection will officially begin the day after. The Beisai Secret Realm will remain open for ten days. If no one has emerged from the secret realm after ten days, the selection will be declared over. At that point, it will simply mean that Central Celestial Academy and the martial artists of Northern Barrier City were not fated to be."

Feng Xiao nodded and instructed a servant to spread the news, ordering that the final list be compiled by the following afternoon and delivered to Liu Changrun. Liu Changrun gave a satisfied nod, then proceeded to discuss the specific details of the trial with Feng Xiao and Xia Chengkai.