Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

With that, Yin Ye departed, taking Yin Qixing with him.

His visit to the Dragon Flame Royal Capital wasn’t just for Lu Chao. He also needed to report to the Dragon Flame King on the arrangements for the Azure Flame Sect.

Just then, Cheng Yunsu asked, ”Elder Sun, what will happen to Dragon Flame Academy if we can’t join the new Beast Flame Academy?”

Sun Shijin gave a bitter smile and replied in a low voice, ”From now on, all academies in the Hundred Countries, aside from the main Beast Flame Academy, will be designated as branches. For example, we would become the Beast Flame Academy, Dragon Flame Royal Capital Branch.”

”But if we manage to join the Beast Flame Academy, we can continue to be known as the Dragon Flame Outer Courtyard.”

Having explained this...

Sun Shijin added bitterly, ”I’ll have someone arrange accommodations for you.”

With that, he turned and hurried away.

He needed to confer with Dean Jiang and the others about how to recruit nine Innate Students.

Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu exchanged a glance.

Suddenly, Lu Chao said solemnly, ”The Hundred Countries are establishing the Beast Flame Academy to prepare for the academy tournament in half a year. Our opponents will be the Nanye Royal Academy, and... the Great Wu Imperial Academy.”

At his words, a keen light flashed in Cheng Yunsu’s eyes.

The tradition of martial competitions between the academies of the Great Wu Empire, the Nanye Dynasty, and the Hundred Countries was long-standing, with a tournament held every five years.

Back when the Azure Flame Sect still existed...

The sect would cultivate gifted students for the Seven Great Flame Countries so they wouldn’t fall behind Great Wu and Nanye. But ever since the Azure Flame Sect’s destruction, the academies of the Seven Great Flame Countries had become a complete joke, getting crushed in every tournament.

Only the Dragon Flame Kingdom, home to two Saint Bone Families, could still put up a fight.

That was why the Seven Great Flame Countries had resolved to form the new Beast Flame Academy, to compete in a three-way academy battle.

For Lu Chao...

The three-way academy battle meant that both of Lu Dingtian’s children would very likely be competing.

”In half a year, I will enter the three-way academy battle. I will declare that Great Wu Lu Chao is not dead. And I will do it in front of Lu Dingtian as I reclaim the two Heavenly Destiny Saint Bones from within Lu Hanyang and Lu Hanyan.”

Lu Chao’s hoarse, deep voice echoed with heavy resolve in Cheng Yunsu’s ears.

If joining Dragon Flame Academy had just been a matter of going with the flow, now Lu Chao had a true purpose.

Without the emergence of the Beast Flame Academy... it would have been impossible to unseat the Celestial King Academy in just six months, no matter how audacious the plan. Impossible for Dragon Flame Academy to take its place and fight in the great tournament.

Lu Chao had no chance before; he could never have joined the Celestial King Academy with Li Wumian there.

But now, his chance had come.

’I must make sure Dragon Flame Academy joins the Beast Flame Academy a month from now.’

’Then, I’ll be able to meet Marshal Fan again at the old site of the Azure Flame Sect.’

Lu Chao’s fists clenched. ’But how am I going to gather nine Innate Students in a single month?’

First, his gaze fell upon Cheng Yunsu...

’Now that I’ve reached the Innate Realm, can the Star Fire Sparrow Bone be extracted? Can it be removed from the Bone Inner World?’ Lu Chao mused. He had yet to enter his own Bone Inner World since achieving his breakthrough to the Innate Realm.

At that moment, a young man and woman, both students, came looking for them.

They were two of the students who had previously signed the Life and Death Contract, and they were also the two strongest students currently at Dragon Flame Academy.

The moment they appeared, they addressed Lu Chao with admiration, ”Senior Brother Lu Chao.”

Lu Chao snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at them.

The two were, of course, the ones sent to arrange accommodations for Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu.

And so, Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu were soon brought to a quiet, elegant courtyard on the mountain behind Dragon Flame Academy.

”Senior Brother, you two will be living here from now on,” the female student said softly.

Cheng Yunsu looked at their surroundings, her expression puzzled.

”Senior Sister Jiang, why are there so many courtyards around here, but they’re all empty?”

On the way over, the two Dragon Flame Students had already introduced themselves.

Both shared the surname Jiang; they were brother and sister.

They were the grandson and granddaughter of Dean Jiang. The young man was named Jiang Yi, and the young woman Jiang Yu. Both were at the Postnatal Seventh Layer.

The students with the highest cultivation levels at Dragon Flame Academy were all children of the academy’s senior leadership.

To put it bluntly: when enrollment is low, you fill the ranks with your own kids.

Surrounding the courtyard where Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu were to live, a glance revealed several other identical courtyards.

But they were all empty and overgrown with weeds, clearly having been uninhabited for a very long time.

In response, Jiang Yu gave a continuous bitter smile. ”Dragon Flame Academy used to be divided into an Inner and Outer Courtyard. Only those who reached the Innate Realm could enter the Inner Courtyard, and these were the residences for those students. Now, aside from Senior Brother Lu Chao, no one is qualified to live here.”

Cheng Yunsu was stunned into silence by her words.

Jiang Yi added, ”There’s really no need to maintain the Inner and Outer Courtyard structure anymore, but Elder Sun just can’t accept it. He keeps dreaming of the day the Inner Courtyard will be bustling with students again. But now, there’s no chance of that.”

”Either Dragon Flame Academy will cease to exist, or we’ll join the Beast Flame Academy and move to the old Azure Flame Sect site.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yunsu was once again at a loss for words.

Lu Chao, however, smiled. ”Perhaps there’s still a chance to see ten of these Inner Courtyard residences occupied.”

If ten Innate Students appeared within a month, then ten courtyards could be briefly filled with life. Only then could Dragon Flame Academy survive...

The Jiang siblings exchanged a look and shared a bitter smile. The chances were next to none.

Suddenly, Lu Chao’s gaze shifted out the window.

He pointed to a massive boulder on the peak of the mountain behind them. ”What is that? It looks extraordinary.”

The Jiang siblings followed his gaze. Jiang Yi said with admiration, ”As expected of Senior Brother. That massive boulder isn’t actually a rock. It’s the legendary Heavenly Destiny Divine Bone. It’s said to be the transformed Divine Bone left behind by a powerful Demon Dragon after its death.”

”Legend has it that in ancient times, an expert comprehended a powerful Martial Dao from this Divine Bone and became invincible.”

”But that’s just a legend...”

Jiang Yu picked up the story. ”There is one account that isn’t a legend, though.”

”Six hundred years ago, the first dean of Dragon Flame Academy comprehended our current Dragon Flame Martial Dao from this very Divine Bone. At the same time, he trained the Nine Sons of Dragon Flame, each one an exceptionally talented, top-tier prodigy.”

”He then went on to found Dragon Flame Academy, which became the strongest academy in this land.”

As they spoke of this, the eyes of the Jiang siblings filled with deep yearning.

But Jiang Yi’s expression quickly turned into a bitter smile. ”Ever since then, however, no one has been able to comprehend anything from the Divine Bone. Gradually, the Demon Dragon Divine Bone on the mountain behind Dragon Flame Academy became nothing more than a decoration.”

Jiang Yu added, ”Lately, no one even bothers to clean it. It’s just become a great boulder covered in moss and weeds.”

After explaining the history of the massive Heavenly Destiny Divine Bone, the Jiang siblings told Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu to get some rest, then took their leave.

Lu Chao, however, continued to stare thoughtfully at the great boulder outside the window.

Because he felt an impulse to devour it.