A murderous aura filled the sky, and Zhuang Zhou felt as if he had returned to the Battlefield of Myriad Clans from his past life.
The slaughter of myriad clans, mountains of corpses, rivers of blood!
A trace of confusion flickered in Zhuang Zhou's eyes.
Suddenly, the voice of the coachman came from outside the carriage.
"Young Master, we've arrived at Northern Heaven Academy!"
The coachman's voice pulled Zhuang Zhou out of his immersion in his past life.
However, a sense of vigilance arose in Zhuang Zhou's heart.
Reborn once, the world is hard to change; when the time comes, legacies will emerge, treasures will surface, and a golden era of both slaughter and opportunity will surely arrive.
He didn't have much time to develop; he had to seize every second, every resource, every opportunity, to defy fate, protect his family, and break free from the shackles of destiny.
Zhuang Zhou lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.
He saw squads of Northern Heaven Academy disciples, clad in Blacksteel Armor, wielding Blades, Spears, Swords, Halberds, shouting oaths.
Zhuang Zhou was unfazed, having witnessed scenes tenfold, a hundredfold grander in his past life, even the collapse of heavens and the end of worlds; such a small scene couldn't intimidate him!
The other geniuses from the Grand Yong Dynasty were not so fortunate.
Delicately raised, they had never seen such a scene; the murderous aura soared to the sky, intimidating for miles around.
Though they hadn't set foot on the battlefield, their minds were filled with visions of mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and blades and swords upon them.
The disciples of the Nobles and Princes were all pale-faced, unable to move!
Only Zhuang Zhou continued to meticulously observe the spirit and energy of these Northern Heaven Academy disciples, even studying the quality of their armor and weapons!
"Is Northern Heaven Academy using this as a welcome ceremony for us?"
Zhuang Zhou asked the coachman beside him.
The coachman, having traveled to Northern Heaven Academy many times, was numb to such scenes!
Before the coachman could speak, a commander in a white battle robe, holding a Crimson-tasseled Spear, walked over and said.
"You're overthinking! Without passing the entrance test, you're not even qualified to be the lowest battle servants in Northern Heaven Academy, let alone receive a welcome from our Qingluan Army! It just so happens that you arrived as the Qingluan Army was about to set out for the Scorpion Desert, a mere coincidence!"
The white-robed commander sneered.
Zhuang Zhou, at eight years old, with shallow cultivation, remained calm and inquisitive upon witnessing the Qingluan Army's oath-taking scene.
This made the white-robed commander give him an extra glance!
"Qingluan Army?! Could you be the legendary White-robed God General, Nangong Xueri?!"
Zhuang Zhou's eyes widened.
"Oh? Judging by your attire, you must be from the Grand Yong Dynasty! Such a remote place, yet someone knows my name?"
The white-robed commander showed a faint smile.
"Nangong Xueri, trained in martial arts at seven, slew barbarians at eight, vanquished beasts at ten, fought bloodily at twelve, awakened the Blood Sun Physique, ascended in one leap, entered the Mystic-tier, and was exceptionally admitted as an elite disciple by Northern Heaven Academy! At eighteen, he commanded the Qingluan Army, fought north and south, and made great contributions to our human race! You are my idol!"
Zhuang Zhou recounted Nangong Xueri's past achievements.
Nangong Xueri felt proud!
Unexpectedly, he was so outstanding that he even had a little fan in the Grand Yong Dynasty!
Bah, shameless! Shameless! The other nine geniuses from the Grand Yong Dynasty gradually recovered from the intimidation of the murderous aura.
Seeing Zhuang Zhou flattering Nangong Xueri to the point of confusion, they were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred!
"Hahaha, well said, well said! Mainly due to Northern Heaven Academy's careful cultivation! If you work hard in the future, you can achieve the same accomplishments as me!"
Nangong Xueri said, scratching the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed.
"Meeting is fate! This is a Mysterious Heaven Armor I no longer use, just right for you, perhaps it can help you pass the entrance test!"
Nangong Xueri took out a blood-colored armor from his storage pouch.
The armor flowed with a bloody light, condensed with murderous intent!
The geniuses from the Grand Yong Dynasty stared wide-eyed!
This was clearly a lower-grade Mystic-tier artifact, already spiritual, wearing it could enhance physical strength, resist blades, spears, water, and fire, worth at least a hundred low-grade spirit stones!
Zhuang Zhou's flattery actually earned him such a treasure!
The hearts of the other geniuses from the Grand Yong Dynasty felt uneasy!
"This is too much!"
Zhuang Zhou verbally declined while swiftly storing the Mysterious Heaven Armor in his storage pouch!
Taking someone's treasure, one must help them dispel disaster.
Zhuang Zhou's eyes turned, and he whispered.
"Lord Nangong, I am also skilled in divination. This expedition to the Scorpion Desert, although you will ultimately return victorious, I hope you will be cautious of the Scorpion King's scepter!"
Zhuang Zhou had heard in his past life that during Nangong Xueri's expedition to the Scorpion Desert, he battled the Scorpion King for days, and the Scorpion King's Death Scepter suddenly activated, summoning death servants, nearly annihilating Nangong Xueri's Qingluan Army!
Nangong Xueri gave him the Mysterious Heaven Armor, he was a good person, and good people deserve peace, so Zhuang Zhou specially reminded him!
"You are also skilled in divination?"
"When I return victorious, I hope to see you as an official disciple of Northern Heaven Academy!"
Nangong Xueri encouraged.
Then he raised his spear high and shouted, "Qingluan Army, set out!"
"Set out!"
"Set out!"
"Set out!"
The Qingluan Army set off in grand fashion.
***
A middle-aged man in gray hemp clothing slowly approached.
"I am the guide from Northern Heaven Academy, here to settle you in!"
The middle-aged man was neither humble nor arrogant.
He led Zhuang Zhou and the others to a row of thatched huts.
"This will be your temporary residence! Tomorrow, when the geniuses from various countries gather, you will undergo assessments, and upon successful admission, rooms will be allocated to you!"
With that, the middle-aged man left.
Zhuang Zhou casually chose a room and settled in!
The other geniuses from the Grand Yong Dynasty were complaining endlessly!
"What? Northern Heaven Academy actually wants us to stay in such a place? Who are they looking down on!"
"Heavens! It's an earth bed with a bamboo mat, not even velvet bedding! These conditions are too harsh! I want to go home!"
The geniuses from the Grand Yong Dynasty, delicately raised, had never suffered such grievances.
They complained endlessly, not realizing that the middle-aged man who had just guided them was secretly recording everything.
Northern Heaven Academy assessed not only the disciples' talent, martial arts, family background, and comprehension.
Character and morality were also key assessment criteria!
Among the ten geniuses sent by the Grand Yong Dynasty, only the youngest, Zhuang Zhou, remained calm and composed!
As expected of the person Lord Nangong secretly instructed to take care of.
Truly extraordinary!
"What? There's actually a scroll of mid-grade Mystic-tier fist technique—Blazing Flame Fist—under my bamboo mat!"
While tidying up the room, Zhuang Zhou unexpectedly found a scroll of mid-grade Mystic-tier fist technique under the mat, and his eyes gleamed with a plan.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan