Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Not until...

Only after Luo Wendeng and the other eight had all crossed the line did Lu Chao finally take a slow step back, crossing the finish line himself.

With that, Dragon Flame Academy had officially passed the first trial.

In front of the finish line, a large number of people lay collapsed—all of them from the twenty great University Institutes. When they saw Lu Chao finally retreat behind the line, it was as if a great weight had been lifted. ”Quick, charge the finish line!”

One by one, they scrambled to their feet and dashed toward the finish line...

But just as Yan Jun and the others were about to cross, Marquis Longyin suddenly announced, ”Sixty academies have already passed the first trial. The rest are all eliminated. Members of the Order Enforcement Team, secure the finish line.”

The Order Enforcement Team Members immediately received their orders and took a heavy step back.

They instantly blocked all twenty University Institutes, as well as some of the Small Institutes that had been too slow.

In that instant, Yan Jun and the others were all dumbfounded. ’We’re all eliminated?’

Li Wumian was also stunned...

The six vice deans were equally stupefied. They had just been so focused on yelling at the twenty University Institutes that they hadn’t been keeping count of how many academies had crossed the line. ’There are sixty already?’

The next moment, Li Wumian snapped back to his senses and roared, ”You bastards, how can you do this? This is simply, simply...”

He couldn’t get the words out, unsure of what to even say.

Finally, Li Wumian continued to bellow, ”I’m reporting this to the Seven Great Deans! I’m reporting this to the Seven Great Flame Kings!”

In response, Marquis Longyin just shrugged...

”Go ahead and report it. They’ll find out sooner or later anyway. As for me... Huh, someone’s coming.”

”It should be... The upper echelons of Beast Flame have all arrived.”

Marquis Longyin had been in the middle of speaking when his attention shifted, having detected powerful experts approaching the finish line of the first trial.

As his voice fell...

Li Wumian, who had been on the verge of spewing more curses, immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Yan Jun and the others from the University Institutes, looking dejected and grimy, quickly glanced around. Most of the students who had passed the first trial and had been beaming with smiles also grew tense.

This was especially true for the Small Institutes that had gotten ridiculously lucky; they had a feeling things weren’t going to be that simple.

After all...

Of the twenty academies that had acted as blockers, only Zhongyue Academy had passed by surrendering their Weapons and Elixir Pills.

In other words, among the sixty academies that passed, not a single one was from the Seven Great Flame Countries.

No, that wasn’t right. Among the Seven Great Flame Countries, only Dragon Flame Academy had made it through.

The entire area fell silent. Then, the sound of dense footsteps echoed from behind a large courtyard not far away.

And because it was so utterly silent...

...the crowd could even hear the voices of the Beast Flame upper echelons. Just then, someone was heard asking, ”Vice Dean Zheng, the first trial is almost over. Do you think any academies from the Seven Great Flame Countries will be eliminated?”

A second voice immediately chimed in...

”Our Seven Great Flame Countries have exactly twenty academies in total.”

”It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but if we’re talking about an academy from the Seven Great Flame Countries that might get eliminated in the first trial, it could only be that one piggybacking on our Dragon Flame name... They’re just too pathetic, nothing but dead weight taking up space.”

This voice was quite discourteous, and it belonged to none other than the other vice dean of Celestial King Academy, Zheng Liyuan.

He seemed to have said it loudly on purpose, as if to provoke someone.

As a result, everyone on both sides of the finish line heard him loud and clear.

Instantly, Li Wumian’s face darkened. The six vice deans all had varied expressions, while Yan Jun and his group looked as if they had just eaten shit.

The first voice immediately replied to Zheng Liyuan, ”The Dragon Flame Academy from your kingdom really is trash. They just scraped together ten Innate Students. It’s a disgrace to your Dragon Flame name.”

Then, a third voice added with a laugh, ”It’s fine. If they can’t even pass the first trial, Dragon Flame Academy will just be disbanded.”

As this voice faded...

...a large group of people slowly rounded the corner from behind the large courtyard.

This crowd consisted almost entirely of older individuals, both men and women. They emerged in seven groups, the high-ranking personnel from the Seven Great Inner Courtyards of Beast Flame. However, the one leading each of the seven groups was not their dean.

Instead, it was... the second vice dean.

For instance, Celestial King Academy’s contingent stood in the very center of the seven groups, led, of course, by Zheng Liyuan.

As high-ranking personnel of Beast Flame’s Seven Great Inner Courtyards, they all carried the air of superiors as they walked out. After they settled into place, they cast their gazes toward the finish line of the first trial.

Then, one by one, they blinked, suddenly realizing that something seemed off.

Just then, a cold voice rang out...

”Zheng Liyuan, sorry to disappoint you, but our Dragon Flame Academy has already passed the first trial.”

Once again, because of the surrounding silence...

...the voice carried with absolute clarity to the upper echelons of the seven courtyards. Zheng Liyuan’s expression sank.

’Dragon Flame Academy actually passed the first trial? What the hell were those academies I gave orders to doing?’

That’s right. Zheng Liyuan had instructed the other academies from the Dragon Flame Kingdom to eliminate Dragon Flame Academy’s students in the first trial—or at the very least, take out one of them to make the Fake Lu Chao break down.

In any case, Zheng Liyuan followed the source of the voice with his eyes...

...and saw a masked man standing in the middle of the crowd. Beside him were nine men and women covered in dirt, and all the other students who had passed the first trial seemed to be vaguely centered around him.

”What the hell are you, and why are you wearing a mask?” Zheng Liyuan couldn’t help but ask.

The one who had just spoken was, of course, Lu Chao.

The nine people beside him were from Dragon Flame Academy. And because he had, whether overtly or covertly, led the Small Institutes through the first trial, all the present students naturally and unconsciously treated him as their center.

In response to Zheng Liyuan’s question...

...Lu Chao casually removed his mask and retorted, ”Zheng Liyuan, have you forgotten me so soon?”

His eyes widening, Zheng Liyuan spat out two words with venom: ”Fake Lu Chao.”

But before he could say anything else, someone from within the seven small contingents of upper echelons had already cried out...

”Wait, why isn’t Wind Wolf Academy from my Wolf Flame Kingdom among those who passed the first trial?”

”And Weihu Academy from my Tiger Flame Kingdom isn’t here either...”

Soon, all the upper echelons of the seven courtyards finally realized what was wrong.

Aside from Dragon Flame Academy, not a single one of the University Institutes from the Seven Great Flame Countries had passed the first trial...

Behind the Order Enforcement Team Members...

...that is, outside the finish line, Yan Jun and the others began to wail, ”Seniors, you have to stand up for us!”

At the same time, Li Wumian and the other six vice deans from the first trial rushed over to Zheng Liyuan’s group, each one explaining the situation to the seven contingents of upper echelons.

Some of them embellished their stories, viciously cursing Dragon Flame Academy and rambling about the Fake Lu Chao’s plots and schemes.

Li Wumian even claimed that Marquis Longyin had deliberately shown favoritism, abusing his public office for personal gain.

The vice dean from Lion Flame, however, recounted the entire situation truthfully.

The minds of the upper echelons from the seven courtyards were buzzing as they listened. Only after everyone had finished speaking did Zheng Liyuan finally turn to Marquis Longyin and roar in a low voice, ”Marquis Longyin, how dare you act so recklessly?”