Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 443 The Desolate Academy

The Ten Great Ancient Clans.

In a secluded bamboo forest, Qin Yue sat quietly beneath the bamboo, reading a scroll. Beside her, the masked Saint Heir gestured with an array flag. A gust of wind rustled through the grove, and Li Rui appeared, kneeling on one knee before the Saint Heir.

"Is the task accomplished?" the Saint Heir asked, his gaze settling on Li Rui before the man could even speak.

Hearing his voice, Qin Yue paused her reading. A thought seemed to strike her, and she turned to look at the two men, her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.

"Reporting to the Saint Heir, there was a small hiccup," Li Rui replied. "Wang Tong interfered, and Ye Qingchen was nearly eliminated. Fortunately, that troublesome old man appeared and took Ye Qingchen as his disciple. Ye Qingchen has successfully joined Central Celestial Academy!"

A hint of interest crept into the Saint Heir’s usually placid voice. "Oh? He hasn’t taken on a disciple in a long time. For him to make a move now is truly unexpected. TSK, TSK... how interesting. With those two together, there’s bound to be a good show! You may go. Keep a close watch on any developments with Ye Qingchen."

"As you command!" Li Rui replied before quickly departing.

The Saint Heir turned to Qin Yue, who was still pretending to read, and chuckled. "Stop pretending. The fluctuations in your aura have already given you away."

Qin Yue set down her book and shot the Saint Heir a cold glare. "You were just lucky enough to be born into a good family! What’s there to be so proud of? I’m telling you, you’d better leave Ye Qingchen alone. Otherwise, when I’ve grown stronger, I’ll make you regret this!"

A look of amusement gleamed in the Saint Heir’s eyes. "Good. In that case, I’ll be looking forward to it..."

「Central Celestial Academy.」

Ye Qingchen followed Elder Yang into the academy grounds. As they walked deeper, the surrounding Spiritual Energy grew noticeably denser. Students of Central Celestial Academy, clad in uniforms of various colors, zipped back and forth among the rugged mountain peaks.

As they walked, Elder Yang explained, "Central Celestial Academy is divided into several branches based on Martial Soul attributes: Duanjin Academy, Wood Law Academy, Ferocious Fire Academy, Sunflower Water Academy, Thick Earth Academy, Beast-Taming Academy, and Ten Thousand Spirits Academy. Additionally, the most outstanding disciples from each of these branches come together to form Zhongtian Academy."

Ye Qingchen nodded, then asked with some confusion, "Elder Yang, why didn’t you mention our Divine Wood Academy just now?"

Elder Yang gave an awkward laugh, a hint of embarrassment crossing his wizened face. "As you heard, those with wood-based Martial Souls typically enter the Wood Law Academy. Although our Divine Wood Academy is technically a branch of Central Celestial Academy, it’s not recognized by the others. They haven’t even left a spot for us in the Zhongtian Academy they formed."

Ye Qingchen scratched his head. He knew the Divine Wood Academy was in a sorry state, but he never imagined it had fallen so far as to be completely unrecognized.

But that wasn’t his main concern. He finally asked the question that mattered most to him. "Elder Yang, I heard that Central Celestial Academy has the privilege of sending students to observe and learn from the Ten Great Ancient Clans. Based on what you said, does our Divine Wood Academy have that privilege?"

Elder Yang’s earlier embarrassment vanished, replaced by a surge of bravado. "The Ten Great Ancient Clans? That’s all? If you want to go, I can take you anytime. Don’t worry about it."

Hearing this, Ye Qingchen was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected something he yearned for to be so simple for Elder Yang. He immediately pressed, "Elder Yang, when can you arrange for me to visit the Ten Great Ancient Clans?"

Elder Yang’s awkward smile returned as he laughed it off. "Ahem, about that... there’s no rush, no rush at all. Let’s focus on your cultivation first."

Looking at Elder Yang’s disheveled appearance and forced smile, Ye Qingchen was suddenly struck by the feeling that the man was completely unreliable. But since he had already joined the Divine Wood Academy, he could only resign himself to fate, dependable or not.

The old man and the young man walked for a long time. The Spiritual Energy thinned out again until they reached a desolate area, yet Elder Yang showed no sign of stopping. Ye Qingchen’s spirits sank. A little farther and they would reach the very edge of Central Celestial Academy’s grounds. The closer one was to the center of the academy, the denser the Spiritual Energy—and vice versa. This fact alone was a testament to the Divine Wood Academy’s status.

Finally, Elder Yang halted before a low hill. He pointed to a narrow entrance and said, "Kid, the Divine Wood Academy is on this hill. Make sure you remember the location so you don’t get lost later."

Ye Qingchen nodded earnestly, knowing Elder Yang wasn’t joking. The place was so remote that he probably couldn’t find anyone within the academy who even knew where the Divine Wood Academy was.

Besides, calling it a hill was generous; it was more like a large, barren mound. The treeless rise was barely a hundred meters tall, and from its base, he could see a few simple thatched huts and nothing else. Compared to the majestic mountain ridges he had seen on the way here, this was a truly pathetic sight.

Ye Qingchen had expected the Divine Wood Academy to be bleak, but he hadn’t prepared for this level of destitution. Sucking his teeth, he asked, "Elder Yang, does anyone else live here in the Divine Wood Academy?"

Elder Yang smiled awkwardly. "For now, it’s just the two of us. Your senior brothers and sisters are all out gaining experience, so it seems a bit empty. But this has its advantages for you."

He looked at Ye Qingchen, who listened with a sliver of hope.

"This way, you don’t have to compete with anyone for a house! You can pick any room on this hill, except for mine. This is far better than the new disciples in other academies. They usually have to share a room with two or three other people. So, what do you think? Suddenly feeling a bit lucky you joined the Divine Wood Academy?"

Ye Qingchen fought back the urge to beat the old man senseless. He pursed his lips and said nothing, but his mind was racing with complaints.

These thatched huts are all dilapidated, so what difference does it make which one I choose? As for the other academies, the only reason they have three or four people to a room is because they’re overflowing with students, and their cultivation resources are far superior to this place. Lucky? Right. I’m just so lucky!

Sensing Ye Qingchen’s discontent, Elder Yang spoke again as they climbed the hill. "Actually, there’s another benefit to joining our Divine Wood Academy."

Ye Qingchen had already accepted his fate. It wasn’t like he had come here for benefits anyway. "What benefit?" he asked indifferently. "The seclusion?"

Elder Yang waved his hand and laughed heartily. "Superficial! Do you know what the first event is for new students at Central Celestial Academy? The Holy Light Initiation! Each academy receives a fixed amount of Holy Light, which means new disciples in other academies have to share a small portion among several people. But you’re different. You’re the Divine Wood Academy’s sole priority, so all the Holy Light will be used on you. Plus, we haven’t recruited new students in many years, so our Divine Wood Academy has accumulated quite a bit of Holy Light."

Hearing this, Ye Qingchen finally felt a little better. Though he didn’t know what the Holy Light Initiation was, he had experienced a Spiritual Qi Infusion before. He figured that no matter what, "Holy Light" had to sound more prestigious than "Spiritual Energy."

Within minutes, they reached the top of the hill. Next to the few thatched huts stood a stone stele, about half the height of a man, engraved with the four large words: "Divine Wood Academy." The sight reminded Ye Qingchen of the grand characters at the entrance of Central Celestial Academy. The difference between the two was like that between the clouds and the mud.

Elder Yang kept his word, pointing to the hut in the middle. "That’s my place. You can pick any of the other rooms. Just don’t touch anyone’s belongings. You never know when one of your senior brothers might suddenly return."

Ye Qingchen frowned as he surveyed the huts. Except for the one Elder Yang occupied, all the others had holes of various sizes, were covered in cobwebs, and were thick with dust. It was clear no one had lived in them for a very long time. This made him seriously doubt whether these senior brothers and sisters even existed, or if Elder Yang had simply fabricated them to save face.