Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

”I don’t know,” Wen Qingye said simply.

Lil Ya didn’t explain. He patted Wen Qingye’s shoulder and said with a smile, ”Prepare well. I believe you’ll dazzle everyone soon.”

Wen Qingye nodded and said no more.

Lil Ya took out a bottle of pills. ”This is a Sixth-Grade Pill, the Ring Sun Pill. It helps clear the mind and calm the spirit. I was worried your cultivation was advancing too quickly, so I prepared this for you. For the time being, take this pill to assist your cultivation.”

”Alright.” Wen Qingye needed exactly this kind of pill, so he accepted it without hesitation.

After he finished speaking, Lil Ya left. Though Wen Qingye found his words a bit strange, he knew that if Lil Ya wanted to tell him something, he would do so without being asked.

Wen Qingye returned to his room and began to cultivate, immediately taking out the Ring Sun Pill Lil Ya had given him.

The moment the Ring Sun Pill entered his stomach, Wen Qingye felt a cooling sensation spread through his head. The blood in the meridians throughout his body began to flow faster, and he felt himself slipping into a wondrous state.

Wen Qingye’s meteoric rise in cultivation was slowly being compressed, and his foundation grew more and more solid.

By this day, Wen Qingye had taken three Ring Sun Pills, saving the last two. Now, his cultivation barely fluctuated at all; it was completely stabilized at the Sixth Level of Refining Essence.

Night fell, and the entirety of Qig Mountain Academy was filled with laughter. For one, everyone had just returned after a short time apart. For another, the Inner Courtyard assessment was tomorrow. Many of the newer students had never witnessed the assessment before and were curious as to what it entailed.

By North Mountain, twilight mist rose into the vast, hazy evening. A bright moon hung over the mountain’s edge, its clear light radiating in all directions, so brilliant it could define a person’s every feature.

Wen Qingye leaned alone against a tree, a flask of wine in hand. He slowly took a sip, and a pleasant warmth spread through him as it went down. His thoughts drifted to Zhang Xiaoyun, to how she looked after removing the scar from her face. At the memory, a contented smile blossomed on his lips.

Surrounded only by the soft, scattered chirping of insects, Wen Qingye slowly grew drowsy. Gazing at the moonlight, he unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

.......

The next day, all the students of the Outer Courtyard gathered before the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion. Even those not participating in this year’s assessment were present, since they would have to take it next year.

By the time Wen Qingye arrived, nearly everyone was already there.

Yann Xiangyang stole a glance at Wen Qingye before quickly turning her gaze forward again.

The Outer Courtyard students of Qig Mountain Academy all looked at Wen Qingye with reverence. Ever since he had defeated Lang Feng, they felt a deep sense of gratitude and admiration toward him.

When Guu Xiong and Luo Tang saw Wen Qingye, they hurried over.

”Brother, you came for the Inner Courtyard assessment?”

Wen Qingye nodded. ”Yeah.”

Guu Xiong sighed. ”With Brother Ye’s strength, passing the assessment is a sure thing. Unlike us, who’ll be stuck slogging it out in the Outer Courtyard for another year.”

Luo Tang frowned. ”Hey, speak for yourself.”

Wen Qingye looked around and asked, ”Where is everyone? Aren’t the Inner Courtyard students supposed to be running the assessment? I don’t see anyone.”

Guu Xiong answered, ”I heard Inner Courtyard students are serving as the examiners this time. They’re usually like this; it’s normal for them to show up late.”

Wen Qingye nodded and fell silent.

Gao Yuerou saw Wen Qingye and hurried over, looking at him with a slight pout. ”Why did you leave without saying anything to me?”

Wen Qingye rubbed his nose and smiled. ”I thought you’d already left, so...”

Gao Yuerou saw right through his excuse but didn’t call him on it. She simply nodded. ”Fine. But next time, remember to wait for me.”

”Okay,” Wen Qingye nodded.

A smile touched the corners of Gao Yuerou’s mouth. She said no more, quietly standing beside Wen Qingye to wait with him for the Inner Courtyard students to arrive.

In truth, she understood many things. Her heart, as gentle as water, perhaps saw things more clearly than anyone.

Time ticked by, second by second, as the crowd continued to wait.

Wei Qiutong’s brows were knitted tightly. ’Who exactly are the Inner Courtyard students this year?’ he fumed internally. ’Why aren’t they here yet?’

Ren Hua spoke calmly, his eyes closed. ”It doesn’t matter who from the Inner Courtyard is testing us. We can’t afford to offend them. It’s best to just wait quietly.”

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the crowd grew anxious. A stir went through the ranks as the Outer Courtyard students began to grow impatient.

”These Inner Courtyard students are too arrogant, making all of us from the Outer Courtyard wait here.”

”Exactly! Do they think they’re so great just because they’re Inner Courtyard students?”

”What’s so great about being an Inner Courtyard student?”

........

”Inner Courtyard students ARE great!”

Suddenly, a thunderous shout erupted from the crowd, and everyone turned to look.

A few dozen young men and women stood a short distance away, a clear distinction between them and the crowd. With their heads held high, they strutted arrogantly toward the center of the assembly. The one who had shouted was one of the men among them.

The man swept his gaze over the Outer Courtyard first-years and said haughtily, ”I’ll tell you again: Inner Courtyard students ARE great.”

”Getting into the Outer Courtyard means you’re nothing. Only when you enter the Inner Courtyard have you truly entered Qig Mountain Academy.”

Seeing that everyone remained silent, apparently cowed by his powerful presence, the man glanced around and nodded in satisfaction. ”My name is Wang Chong. I am a student of the Inner Courtyard, my cultivation is at the Ninth Heaven of Refining Essence, and today, I am your examiner for the Inner Courtyard assessment.”

Wang Chong glanced at the crowd, then frowned and said, ”Those of you here for the assessment, get up here. I don’t have all day to waste on you.”

Wen Qingye, Wei Qiutong, Ren Hua, Guu Lei, Yann Xiangyang, and the others walked up one by one.

Wang Chong’s eyes immediately landed on the exceptionally beautiful Yann Xiangyang. His expression brightened, and he smiled. ”Xiangyang, long time no see.”

Yann Xiangyang replied without expression, ”Yes, it has been a long time.”

Seeing Yann Xiangyang’s obvious reluctance to engage with him, Wang Chong felt a surge of irritation. But with so many eyes on them, he couldn’t very well say anything about it.

Wang Chong shot Wen Qingye and the others a disdainful look. ”Is this the best you’ve got? Not even a single one at the Refining Essence Seventh Layer Heaven?”

The group exchanged glances but remained silent.

Wang Chong shook his head and said to the Inner Courtyard student beside him, ”This generation of the Outer Courtyard is worse than the last. Their cultivation levels are embarrassingly low.”

”Yeah, how could they possibly compare to our year?”

”In Brother Chong’s year, there were two people at the Refining Essence Seventh Layer Heaven.”

........

The Outer Courtyard students in the crowd felt a growing unease upon hearing this, and their expressions soured.

One Outer Courtyard student, his face flushed red, shouted, ”Who says our year doesn’t have any experts? You just haven’t seen them!”

Wang Chong’s eyebrow twitched. ”A piece of trash like you dares to talk back to me? If you’ve got the guts, then come up here and take the assessment. Otherwise, stop spewing nonsense from the sidelines.”

WHOOSH!

Wang Chong’s tone was wild and exceptionally arrogant.

The Outer Courtyard students erupted like an overturned beehive, all glaring at Wang Chong with undisguised fury.

Wang Chong stomped his foot and boomed, ”What? You all want to have a go at me? I’m standing right here. Who dares to step up? I’ve reached the fourteenth floor of the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion! Which one of you can say the same?”

The fourteenth floor!

The Outer Courtyard students’ brows furrowed. For them, the fourteenth floor was a goal they could see but never hope to reach.

The Outer Courtyard students exchanged glances. They were all well aware of their own strength, and not a single one dared to step forward and accept the challenge.

After a long moment, still no one had stepped forward. Wang Chong sneered at the crowd. ”See? I call you trash, and you can’t even admit it. You don’t even know your own place.”

”Forget it, Brother Chong. Don’t lower yourself to their level. After all, you won’t be living in the same world as them soon.”

”That’s right, let’s just get on with assessing these candidates. Maybe a few of them have some decent talent.”