Dominator Emperor

The Emperor World Academy was the most mysterious of the main academies within the Celestial Dao Academy. Very few people ever managed to enter it. In fact, for many eras, the Emperor World Academy didn’t recruit anyone at all, because no one could pass its assessment.

If the students of the Saint World Academy were geniuses among geniuses, then the students of the Emperor World Academy could be called the one true genius of their time.

At most, only one or two students could enter the Emperor World Academy in any given era. There were even many eras where it remained completely empty, failing to recruit a single student.

Despite this, the Emperor World Academy never relaxed its standards. It remained incomparably strict; even if it meant recruiting no students, it would not lower its requirements!

However, those who graduated from the Emperor World Academy were truly incredible. Even if they didn’t become an Immortal Emperor, they were still supreme figures who soared above the Nine Heavens, revered by their entire generation!

The most incredible person to come from the Emperor World Academy was Hao Hai Immortal Emperor. He founded the Thousand Emperors Sect, one of the most powerful legacies since time immemorial. It produced four Immortal Emperors from the same sect, and these four emperors reigned across four consecutive eras. This was a miracle unheard of in history. During those four eras, the Thousand Emperors Sect was known as the First Sect of Nine Heavens!

The five main academies of the Celestial Dao Academy had vastly different recruitment criteria. Because of this, some people divided them into the ”three upper academies” and the ”two lower academies.” The three upper academies were the Emperor World Academy, the Saint World Academy, and the Dingshi Academy. The two lower academies were the Great World Academy and the Leisure World Academy.

It was no secret that Chi Xiaodie had enrolled in the Great World Academy. Many students there had seen her arrive, and the news caused quite a stir.

No one paid much attention to Li Qiye, that little ghost of unknown origin. Chi Xiaodie, on the other hand, attracted the notice of many students.

Although the Lion Roar Sect called itself a minor sect and the Lion Roar Country called itself a minor country, it all depended on the comparison. Compared to the likes of the Yao Guang Ancient Country and the Nu Xian Sacred Country, the Lion Roar Country was indeed not particularly powerful.

In truth, the Lion Roar Sect’s strength was enough to place it at the lower end of the first-tier sects, a cut above the second-tier ones. After all, the Lion Roar Sect was a lineage that possessed several True Masters and Ancient Saints. Such power could absolutely crush any minor sect, and even the Xiyan Ancient Sect of the past couldn’t compare.

In the eyes of truly minor sects, the Lion Roar Sect was still a behemoth. For the disciples of many minor sects or Independent Cultivators, Princess Chi Xiaodie of the Lion Roar Country was already an incredible figure. What’s more, she was a true genius. Hailing from the Lion Roar Sect, she was already a Prince. She was countless times stronger than the vast majority of the younger generation from the Nu Xian Sacred Country and the Yao Guang Ancient Country. It was certainly not an exaggeration to call her a genius.

After Chi Xiaodie joined the Great World Academy, it caused quite a stir. For a time, many students in the academy were discussing the matter.

”Princess Chi is at the Great World Academy!” After getting the news, some gossipy students immediately started spreading it everywhere.

Upon hearing this, many students’ first reaction was disbelief. ”That’s impossible,” one said. ”The Lion Roar Sect is practically a Great Sect, and Princess Chi is the strongest genius of their younger generation. How could she enter the Great World Academy? Besides, the Lion Roar Sect can definitely afford the tuition for the Dingshi Academy.”

”It’s the absolute truth,” a student insisted. ”I saw it with my own eyes. Senior Brother Yue Yi personally brought her to the Great World Academy. There was another male disciple with them, too.”

”How is that possible?” Hearing this, many Cultivators from the East Hundred Cities, especially those from countries neighboring the Lion Roar Country, found it utterly unbelievable.

Chi Xiaodie enjoyed considerable fame in the East Hundred Cities. Although she hailed from the Lion Roar Country, which wasn’t an Ancient Country, she had reached the King and Marquis Realm. Combined with her moving beauty, she was considered one of the most popular beauties and a top genius in the East Hundred Cities.

In fact, Chi Xiaodie’s fame was not necessarily less than Sima Longyun’s. It was just that Sima Longyun was backed by the Nu Xian Sacred Country, so he had sect successors and more Cultivators to hype him up.

”Princess Chi is Golden Branches and Jade Leaves, and she’s a Prince—a genuine Prince! Hailing from the Lion Roar Country, she reached the King and Marquis Realm on her own talent. It’s no exaggeration to call her a genius. With Princess Chi’s strength, there’s no way she’d come to the Great World Academy. She absolutely has the power to go to the Dingshi Academy!” a student from the Lion Roar Country couldn’t help but say.

”Exactly! Princess Chi is the number one of our Lion Roar Country’s younger generation, our country’s Golden Canary. Why would she suddenly come to the Great World Academy?” Many students from the Lion Roar Country, both male and female, took pride in Chi Xiaodie.

”Isn’t Senior Sister Lin close friends with Princess Chi? Just ask her and we’ll know,” another student suggested, egging on some of the female students.

Chi Xiaodie’s arrival instantly made her a hot topic at the Great World Academy. This was especially true for the male students from the Lion Roar Country and its neighbors. Among these young Cultivators were quite a few of Chi Xiaodie’s admirers, and they were all exceptionally excited to hear the news.

”The Golden Canary of the Lion Roar Country, the number one beauty of our nation.” When some male students spoke of Chi Xiaodie, they couldn’t help but get excited, clearly intending to pursue her.

On his second day at the Great World Academy, Li Qiye woke up early, preparing to take Xiao Niqiu out for a stroll. He wanted to survey the Heaven and Earth Vein of the Celestial Dao Academy and see if he could uncover any clues about the Void Gate.

CREAK— The sound of a door opening. Li Qiye pushed his door open, ready to take a breath of fresh air.

”Welcome, Prince Chi—” Li Qiye had just opened his door, before he could even take a breath of fresh air, when a cheer rang out. It was a pleasant, chirping chorus of female voices, soft and charming, but the cheering came to an abrupt halt as soon as it began.

In an instant, pair after pair of eyes stared at Li Qiye—beautiful, lovely eyes. Right then, standing outside Li Qiye’s courtyard, was a group of pretty, charming female students. All of them were in their early twenties, youthful and beautiful. With so many pretty, young Female Cultivators gathered together, each with her own unique grace, they were truly a dazzling sight, a beautiful scene to behold.

The welcoming ceremony had stopped dead in its tracks. Everyone was looking at Li Qiye. Every single one of the young women stared at him, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

The female students from the Lion Roar Country and its neighboring nations had planned to welcome Chi Xiaodie and give her a surprise. They never expected that the one to come out wouldn’t be Chi Xiaodie, but a Li Qiye whom none of them recognized.

At that moment, all eyes were on Li Qiye; the crowd of beauties stared at the Little Ghost before them.

”So early in the morning, on such a refreshing day, for all you ladies to be so fiery and passionate... it’s a bit too much for me to handle,” Li Qiye said with unhurried ease. He glanced at the group of beauties before him, looking relaxed and carefree as he smiled.

”Little Ghost, what did you say?” Among the group, a slightly older student with an intelligent and elegant look snapped at him, her almond-shaped eyes glaring at Li Qiye.

”Wow, so many beauties! So many fair, shapely legs! It makes this great one want to go and have a feel,” Xiao Niqiu remarked, shaking its head as it eyed the large group of beautiful students and moved forward.

”Ah! An earthworm! How disgusting—” A flurry of shrieks erupted. In an instant, the beautiful female disciples’ faces went pale. They all jumped back in fright, creating distance from Xiao Niqiu, terrified that the giant earthworm would crawl up their lovely legs.

”Sigh, this bunch of little girls has no worldly sense,” Xiao Niqiu said, feeling thoroughly dejected. It shook its head. ”This great one is a divine, celestial earthworm. Letting me touch you would be your good fortune.” With that, it retreated to Li Qiye’s side.

”You damn earthworm, are you looking for a beating?!” a female student huffed coquettishly. For a moment, the air was filled with their chirping voices, a pleasant sound to the ears.

”Prince Chi.” At that moment, Chi Xiaodie also came out. She had been staying in the courtyard for her Cultivation but had been disturbed by the commotion. She was surprised to see so many female students outside, many of whom she recognized. A large portion of them were disciples from the Lion Roar Sect.

Chi Xiaodie couldn’t help but look toward Li Qiye, worried that he would be displeased. After all, Li Qiye had always been inscrutable and kept his distance from others.

Seeing Chi Xiaodie seeking his opinion, Li Qiye smiled slightly. ”Since they’re old acquaintances, go ahead and catch up. Attending a lecture when you have time would also be a good choice.” With that, he left with Xiao Niqiu.

”Prince Chi, who is that Little Ghost? Is he a disciple from your Lion Roar Sect?” one of the female students asked Chi Xiaodie after Li Qiye was a good distance away.

Chi Xiaodie was momentarily speechless. Looking at the group of female disciples, she couldn’t help but give a wry smile. ’Seeing them reminds me of when I first met Li Qiye. I was just as ignorant, unaware of the immensity of the heavens and earth.’

Li Qiye led Xiao Niqiu on a walk through the vast grounds of the Celestial Dao Academy. It looked like they were just casually strolling, but in reality, he was measuring the changes in the Heaven and Earth Vein beneath the academy.

The Earth Vein beneath the Celestial Dao Academy was an incredible major vein; it could even be called the Ancestral Vein of the East Hundred Cities. It possessed heaven-defying Creation and an immeasurably vast amount of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. This was one of the reasons the Celestial Dao Academy had been able to stand strong to this day.

The Primordial Ancestor of the Celestial Dao Academy used Great Divine Techniques to build the academy atop this great Heaven and Earth Vein. Through the efforts of generations of the Celestial Dao Academy’s Elder Sages, they managed to lock down this great vein, allowing the academy to forever enjoy the Creation of this land.

However, Li Qiye’s understanding of the Celestial Dao Academy far surpassed that of anyone else there, even its current reclusive Elder Ancestors. From the Desolate Era until now, he had lost count of how many times he had entered and exited the Celestial Dao Academy. He was especially familiar with it during the time when Wang Yuan was in charge, knowing it like the back of his hand.

The Celestial Dao Academy had locked down the great Heaven and Earth Vein, but Li Qiye was perfectly clear on the methods and transformations involved. Deep within his Sea of Consciousness lay a distant memory from the Ancient Nether Era. During that dark age, he had once led countless Elder Sages of the Human Race, using this great vein to withstand round after round of invasions and attacks!

***