With the completion of Liu Bai's Fifth Rank Spirit Convergence Array, the entire Willow God Society erupted with immense enthusiasm for cultivation. Guo Xiong and the others also reduced the time spent on missions at the right moment, allowing everyone to shift more of their focus toward training.
After all, the purpose of working so hard on missions to earn Spiritual Value in the past was ultimately for cultivation. Now that the conditions had been met, naturally they could not put the cart before the horse.
This approach also caused Liu Bai's prestige within the Willow God Society to soar. Countless members felt gratitude in their hearts for this elusive and mysterious president of theirs.
However, because the Willow God Society had relocated to a new residence, the news had not yet completely spread. Moreover, its members deliberately kept this matter a secret, so it had not caused much of a stir within the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy.
Of course, perhaps the reason was that everyone's attention had already shifted to something else that was drawing near…
The Hunting Battle. This was the grandest event held every year by the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy. Every year, countless dark horses who had buried themselves in bitter cultivation would soar into the skies during this event, displaying all the results they had achieved throughout the year.
Because of this, when each Hunting Battle concluded, the Heavenly Ranking would inevitably undergo the fiercest upheavals of the year.
Every Hunting Battle was bound to erupt with extremely intense clashes. It was a struggle between the dark horses and the current outstanding students. Who could replace the other depended entirely on whose hidden trump cards were stronger.
Of course, apart from paying attention to these aspects, what made Liu Bai even more delighted was that he could also gain Experience Points through this Hunting Battle. This meant he no longer needed to worry about his Experience stagnating due to a lack of suitable missions.
As the day of the event drew near, the entire Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy became increasingly lively. From time to time, news would spread of certain geniuses who had been in seclusion for a long period suddenly emerging, and people would exclaim at how powerful they had become.
Liu Bai himself was indifferent to such matters, but Guo Xiong and the others seemed quite interested.
One day, Liu Bai awoke from cultivation and opened his attribute panel. Looking at the Experience Points displayed after the Five Elements Divine Radiance Art, he saw that after several days of training, he had only gained eight hundred points. This cultivation speed was much slower compared to his previous techniques.
He frowned slightly. In theory, this should not have been the case. Although high level Arts were more difficult to cultivate, their absorption and refinement of Spiritual Energy should not be comparable to ordinary Arts.
High level Arts were difficult because of the requirements for talent and comprehension. Yet for Liu Bai, who directly improved through an external system, these obstacles did not exist. His cultivation speed should have been faster instead.
"Could it be because of my physique?"
Although the Ice Muscle Jade Bone Art granted him the ability to accommodate myriad techniques, compared to an innate Five Elements Physique, the latter was still a better fit for the Five Elements Divine Light Art. Perhaps this was the reason.
Unable to fully clarify the situation, Liu Bai did not dwell on it. Calculating the time, he ended his seclusion and returned to the main hall by the lakeside that belonged to the Willow God Society.
At this moment, Guo Xiong was already waiting inside the hall. In addition, Su Xuan, who had been in seclusion, was also present, along with Li Qing and An Ran. Even Su Ling'er was there, following behind her sister.
"Boss, you're out!" Guo Xiong greeted with a big smile as soon as Liu Bai appeared.
After this period of closed cultivation, Liu Bai noticed that everyone's strength had improved considerably.
Su Xuan in particular, with her abundance of Spiritual Value, had broken through to the late-Phase of the Heaven Fusion Realm. She now firmly suppressed He Yao, ranking just below Liu Bai, Li Xuantong, and Shen Cangsheng among the freshmen.
As for Guo Xiong and Li Qing, though they often managed the Willow God Society, with no shortage of Spiritual Value they had also advanced to the mid-phase of the Heaven Fusion Realm.
The only one who had not broken through was An Ran. She was still at the peak of the early-phase of the Heaven Fusion Realm, needing an opportunity to advance further.
"This Hunting Battle is not only about the rankings. The most important part is the baptism of Spirit Light afterward. That is a rare opportunity to break through in cultivation. None of you must miss it."
Hearing this, the young women nodded solemnly, especially An Ran.
Though she had already accepted that she was an ordinary person compared to others, watching Li Jing and the rest constantly improve while she alone remained stagnant still left her eager for progress.
This Hunting Battle was her best opportunity.
"I will not compete with anyone else, but I will not miss any chance to strengthen myself!" An Ran silently swore to herself, her cold and beautiful face filled with unwavering determination.
Seeing the expressions of everyone present, Liu Bai nodded quietly. It seemed they all had clear goals and did not need further encouragement.
"In that case, it will be just us participating in this Hunting Battle. After all, this year's event is not meant for us freshmen to take center stage. The others will wait until next year."
They had only been enrolled in the academy for less than half a year. In everyone's eyes, this Hunting Battle had nothing to do with the freshmen. If not for Liu Bai's rising fame, few would have even paid attention to him.
No one objected to his decision.
If not for Liu Bai, Guo Xiong, Li Qing, and the others would never have advanced so quickly. This year they likely would have only been spectators.
"Alright, let's set out."
With that, Liu Bai soared into the sky and left the hall.
Behind him, Su Xuan led her younger sister Su Ling'er, while Li Qing, Guo Xiong, and An Ran quickly followed.
At the same time, at the entrance of the Xuan Gang in the freshman district, Li Xuantong and Ye Tian walked out together, surrounded by members of the Xuan Gang. Li Xuantong cast his gaze toward the direction of the Judgement Hall and the Willow God Society. With heroic ambition in his chest, he too shot off into the distance.
Then came Shen Cangsheng, He Yao, Xu Huang, and others…
Every freshman who had reached the Heaven Fusion Realm was participating in this Hunting Battle.
Perhaps they also knew that with their strength they would not stand out much, but no one wanted to miss this chance.
Because missing it meant waiting an entire year, and for freshmen, a single year was enough to change everything.
At the very center of the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy stood a vast and majestic square.
This was the famous Northern Sea Square. It was said that long ago, it had once been the cultivation ground of the Northern Sea Dragon. Later, when the academy was established, it had been developed into the plaza it was today.
Only the grandest events were held here.
When Liu Bai and his group arrived, the square, which could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, was already filled to the brim with a sea of people stretching beyond sight. The deafening roar of the crowd shot into the heavens, audible even hundreds of miles away.
As Liu Bai and the others gazed at the bustling crowd, the young girl Su Ling'er suddenly pointed toward the empty space at the very front of the square and exclaimed, "Sister, look, what is that!"
Everyone looked forward in response.
There, in that empty space, stood a ferocious bronze statue…
It was the image of an enormous creature. It possessed the body of a Kun, yet it bore the claws and tail of a dragon. Its form was ferocious and mighty. Even though it was only a statue, an oppressive aura still radiated outward, preventing the students from approaching.
"That is the guardian beast of our Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy, the Northern Sea Dragon, is it not?" Guo Xiong gazed at the statue, feeling the weight of its aura. His rugged face could not help but reveal astonishment, and he secretly clicked his tongue in awe.
"That is correct." Liu Bai nodded.
Compared to a statue, Liu Bai had personally witnessed the true body of the Northern Sea Dragon. Even recalling that terrifying aura now made his heart tremble.
"This Northern Sea Dragon is among the most supreme existences even within the ranks of divine beasts. Its status in Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy is equal to that of the dean himself. Even the Heavenly Seated Elders must greet it with respect when they meet it."
Hearing this, everyone nodded slightly. Su Ling'er even shrank timidly behind Liu Bai, which made her elder sister Su Xuan feel as though she had lost something.
As Liu Bai observed the surroundings, he suddenly sensed a gaze fixed upon him. When he lifted his head, his eyes met those of He Yao.
Facing He Yao's gloomy stare, Liu Bai's expression remained calm.
Such a minor character was never worth his attention from the beginning, let alone now.
Even if he relied on the bloodline secret art of the Heaven Demon Crane, it made no difference. Even if a true Heaven Demon Crane were brought before him at this moment, Liu Bai could directly strip it into a bald chicken.
All the more so for a fellow who only relied on a drop of beast blood to act arrogantly.
Before long, Liu Bai also saw Shen Cangsheng and Li Xuantong. The three of them nodded from afar in greeting before quietly waiting.
Although no words were exchanged, Liu Bai could see the overwhelming battle intent in their eyes. It seemed that even knowing his strength, these two had not become discouraged. They were suppressing their will, determined to surpass him.
To this, Liu Bai admired their resolve, but he paid no attention to their approach.
As he had always believed, once someone had been defeated by his hand, they no longer had the qualification to stand as his opponent. They had already lost the right to compete with him.
As more and more figures continued to arrive from every direction, Liu Bai noticed that the surrounding atmosphere grew heavier.
The eyes of these people faintly fell upon those influential figures ranked in the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking. In each pair of eyes, provocation and battle intent surged.
Liu Bai could not help but let a faint smile curve his lips.
Indeed, this was worthy of being called Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy.
The few revealed on the Heavenly Ranking were only a fraction. Many others had been concealing themselves, biding their time, waiting for the moment when preparation reached its peak, so that they could soar into the heavens in a single leap.
And clearly, that moment had arrived today.
Accompanied by the sound of a melodious bell, a gigantic azure bird flapped its wings, bringing a violent storm as it appeared in the center of the plaza.
Everyone instinctively raised their arms to shield their eyes against the fierce winds before their gazes fell upon the figures standing on the back of the enormous azure bird.
"Qingluan…"
Liu Bai narrowed his eyes slightly.
Although the enormous azure bird looked ordinary at first glance, he immediately recognized it. This bird was none other than the Qingluan, ranked tenth on the Earth List of the Myriad Beast Record.
It was a super divine beast even higher than the Nine Nether Sparrow by one rank. The only reason its divinity was not yet revealed was that it had not fully matured.
"This Qingluan possesses both wood and wind attributes. If I could obtain it as the wood spirit of my Five Elemental Spirits, that would be perfect." Liu Bai thought to himself. Yet he soon shook his head.
The Qingluan, also known as the Azure Bird, was an extraordinarily rare beast. Encountering even one was already a great stroke of fortune. As for obtaining a Qingluan Beast Essence, that could only depend on prayer.
With a faint sigh in his heart, Liu Bai shifted his focus back to the figures standing upon the back of the Qingluan.
To his surprise, among them he spotted a familiar face. It was none other than his nominal teacher, the Heavenly Seated Elder of the Spiritual Artifact Institute, Elder Chi Huo.
Since Elder Chi Huo was here, those aged figures standing with him must surely be the other Heavenly Seated Elders of the academy.
As for the middle-aged man in azure robes standing at the forefront of the elders, that could only be the Dean of Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy.
Liu Bai gazed at this tall and upright figure. The man's features were as warm as jade, and his eyes resembled vast starry skies. A single glance into them could cause one to lose themselves entirely.
In that instant, it seemed as though heaven and earth themselves were reflected within his eyes.
"My young ones, it has been a year since we last met. I am delighted to see that your strength has once again advanced."
Dean Tai Cang smiled as he looked down upon the countless youths below. His clear voice rang in everyone's ears. It caused the spiritual energy within their bodies to calm, like the sound of divinity itself. Their minds became refreshed, their states improved, and the spiritual energy in their bodies surged with vitality.
"What a terrifying ability." Guo Xiong and the others felt the change within themselves and were immediately struck with fear.
What kind of strength was this? To merely speak a single sentence and elevate the states of so many people.
Liu Bai, however, had long known of this and explained calmly.
"This is the Tai Cang Divine Sound.
It is said to be a Deity-grade Art derived from a Divine art. Back then, with this sound, Dean Tai Cang once roared and directly killed a Supreme."
"A roar that killed a Supreme?" Guo Xiong felt his scalp turn numb.
A Supreme was a being of unimaginable might. Yet before their own dean, he had been slain by a single shout.
Their dean was far too powerful.
Thinking of this, Guo Xiong raised his head again to look at Dean Tai Cang, his face filled with admiration and yearning.
Liu Bai chuckled softly when he saw this. He had unknowingly helped the dean gain another small admirer.
.....
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