Chapter 363 – Dao Academy Grand Competition, Talents Gather from All Provinces

The real world, Immortal Alliance, Barren Wilderness Academy.

Today, Barren Wilderness Academy was exceptionally lively.

After more than half a year, the Immortal Alliance had now finalized the twenty Dao Academies eligible to participate in the Great Dao Academy Competition.

Among these academies, there were many familiar faces.

But there were also many unfamiliar ones.

The emergence of Tianjiu Academy was the most surprising.

Before this, Tianjiu Academy’s performance could not be described as terrible.

But it could be said to have had little presence.

Within the entire Immortal Alliance, it was a genuine mid-to-lower-tier academy.

However, in this Great Dao Academy Competition,

by adopting the principle of teaching without discrimination and allowing non-human races to join the academy’s team,

Tianjiu Academy fought its way through successive victories and ultimately secured a spot to participate in the competition at Barren Wilderness Academy.

This truly exceeded many people’s expectations.

Especially in the final showdown against Lihuo Dao Academy,

it made countless people regard this once-ordinary academy as a formidable contender in this Great Dao Academy Competition, not to be underestimated.

After all, Xing Jiu’s post-breakthrough cultivation was comparable to the Golden Core Stage.

At the student level, this was almost invincible.

Of course, this was in comparison to previous Great Dao Academy Competitions.

In this year’s competition, the Golden Core Stage was no longer an invincible existence.

Because in several academies, there were genuine Golden Core Stage cultivators or those with strength comparable to the Golden Core Stage.

Jiang Dongliu of Clear River Dao Academy, Lu Chen of Lihuo Dao Academy, Meow King of Barren Wilderness Academy, and Shen Feiyang of Profound Water Academy

were all genuine Golden Core Stage or above.

If we include Tianjiu Academy’s Xing Jiu, this pseudo-Golden Core,

this Great Dao Academy Competition actually featured five cultivators at the Golden Core level simultaneously.

This had never happened in previous Great Dao Academy Competitions.

In past competitions, it was rare for Golden Core Stage students to appear,

let alone so many at once.

Such a grand occasion naturally attracted considerable attention.

Many were very curious:

which academy would ultimately achieve victory in this Great Dao Academy Competition?

Temporary dormitories, Barren Wilderness Academy.

To provide a better resting environment for the other academies and to demonstrate Barren Wilderness Academy’s hospitality,

the students participating in the Great Dao Academy Competition were mostly housed in a designated dormitory area within Barren Wilderness Academy.

Currently, apart from the students of Clear River Dao Academy, who had not yet arrived at Barren Wilderness Academy due to special reasons,

students from the other academies had already moved into the dormitory area.

There was still about a week until the official start of the Great Dao Academy Competition.

For the students of the major academies who had already arrived at Barren Wilderness Academy, this period was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to familiarize themselves with their opponents.

Of course, not every student took this Great Dao Academy Competition very seriously.

Some did not care about winning or losing this time, treating it merely as an excursion.

Others were somewhat reluctant to participate but were forced to compete…

“Shen Feiyang, I never expected you to become so powerful now!”

In one of the Arenas at Barren Wilderness Academy,

Mu Xiaoye looked at the thoroughly transformed Shen Feiyang with great surprise.

After all, back in Luocheng…Although Shen Feiyang possessed a decent Ghost Control Technique,

in a way, this could be considered an external force.

It didn’t necessarily reflect how outstanding his own cultivation talent was.

Yet, nearly a year had passed since then, and Shen Feiyang, who had only been at the Foundation Establishment Stage back then,

had now actually reached the Golden Core Stage.

This undoubtedly came as quite a surprise to Mu Xiaoye.

After all, Mu Xiaoye was a key cultivation target of the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect.

But even after almost a year, she had only reached the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage,

still quite a distance away from a breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage.

Yet Shen Feiyang had surpassed her and reached the Golden Core Stage first.

If there wasn’t some kind of special Opportunity behind this, Mu Xiaoye wouldn’t believe it no matter what.

Facing Mu Xiaoye’s inquiry, Shen Feiyang maintained his signature listless expression, showing no trace of vigor or spirit.

He no longer resembled a vibrant student—more like a seasoned, world-weary veteran who had spent years navigating the workplace.

If it were anyone else, they might have flaunted their achievements at this point,

especially in front of two acquaintances.

After all, few could resist the temptation of returning home in glory.

But Shen Feiyang was an exception.

In fact, his current Golden Core Stage cultivation had brought him quite a bit of trouble.

For instance, the Profound Water Academy was already subtly considering him as a key cultivation target.

Countless eyes were now fixed on him.

For a Black Lotus Sect spy like him, this was nothing short of immense pressure.

With his current prominence and reputation,

the slightest misstep could lead to exposure.

This had troubled Shen Feiyang for quite some time.

Fortunately, although his relationship with Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye wasn’t particularly close, it wasn’t bad either.

Especially since these two were long-established prodigies.

In their presence, he could afford to relax a little,

without having to maintain the dignified demeanor expected of a prodigy, as he did in front of other teachers and students at the Profound Water Academy.

When Mu Xiaoye pressed him for answers, Shen Feiyang evasively replied, “Just luck, really. If I hadn’t stumbled upon a great Opportunity, I might not have broken through to the Golden Core Stage before graduation.”

Mu Xiaoye didn’t fully buy this explanation,

but being clever, she didn’t press further.

After all, everyone had their own secrets.

Prying into such matters would undoubtedly be impolite.

Lu Chen, however, had a different take on Shen Feiyang’s explanation.

Back during their school days in Luocheng,

he had already noticed Shen Feiyang’s unique Physique.

Ordinary Ghost Controllers, due to long-term exposure to Yin Qi,

often suffered from insufficient Yang Qi, which could affect their lifespan.

But Shen Feiyang was different.

He seemed to possess an innate ability to control Yin Qi exceptionally well.

What others avoided as harmful Yin Qi was not only harmless to him but even beneficial.

Moreover, Lu Chen had noticed earlier that Shen Feiyang seemed to host some special entity within him.

Now, although that aura had become more concealed,

Lu Chen sensed that it had grown even stronger.

Undoubtedly, Shen Feiyang’s newfound strength was likely connected to this.

Shen Feiyang, however, seemed reluctant to discuss the matter further.

He quickly changed the subject, saying, “By the way, since we’re already here at the Barren Wilderness Academy, why don’t we take a look at the Great Wilderness Pagoda?””If the few of us go together, the teachers of the Barren Wilderness Academy probably won’t object too much.”

“Aren’t you curious about a place that imprisons countless Demons and Heretical Cultivators?”

Faced with Shen Feiyang’s suggestion, Mu Xiaoye was the typical type who loved stirring up trouble without worrying about consequences.

She immediately agreed: “I actually had a similar idea. Since you brought it up, let’s go together.”

“What do you think, Little Lu?”

Lu Chen looked at Mu Xiaoye and calmly said: “Either way is fine.”

With Lu Chen’s response, the three quickly took action.

However, on their way to the Great Wilderness Pagoda, Lu Chen gave Shen Feiyang a meaningful glance.

Because he felt Shen Feiyang’s reason for wanting to visit the Great Wilderness Pagoda might not be that simple.

After all, as a place where the Immortal Alliance imprisons numerous Demons and Heretical Cultivators,

the Yin Qi and malevolent energy here were undoubtedly astonishing.

Not to mention ordinary people—even Cultivators staying in such a place for extended periods

could develop certain issues.

Although the Barren Wilderness Academy utilized the unique properties of the Great Wilderness Pagoda

to transform it into a special cultivation pagoda,

they still strictly limited students’ cultivation time inside,

precisely because they worried prolonged exposure could cause problems.

This also demonstrated just how unique the environment within the Great Wilderness Pagoda was.

So unique that even Lu Chen felt such a structure shouldn’t be built within an academy.

After all, even someone like him who wasn’t from the Barren Wilderness Academy could imagine

that if anything went wrong with the Great Wilderness Pagoda,

it would be a catastrophic disaster for both the academy and its students.

Though so far, no individual or organization had managed to accomplish this.

Or perhaps the Barren Wilderness Academy possessed absolute confidence in itself—

so confident that no one could possibly cause trouble under their watch.

But in Lu Chen’s view, this confidence was quite fragile.

After all, the greatest characteristic of the future lies in its inherent uncertainty.

Still, these were matters for the Barren Wilderness Academy and the Immortal Alliance to consider.

As someone who wasn’t a student of the Barren Wilderness Academy, he didn’t need to worry about such things.

Regarding the trio’s desire to explore the Great Wilderness Pagoda,

the Barren Wilderness Academy appeared quite relaxed.

Without much questioning, they granted the three permission to enter the pagoda.

Soon, the trio arrived before the Great Wilderness Pagoda, the most famous structure in the Barren Wilderness Academy.

The so-called Great Wilderness Pagoda consisted of two parts.

The first was the pagoda structure exposed above ground,

which was also the area accessible to most people.

According to legends within the Barren Wilderness Academy,

the Great Wilderness Pagoda originally wasn’t a pagoda but rather an underground prison of the Immortal Alliance’s Demon Suppression Division,

serving the same purpose as it does now—

imprisoning Demons and Heretical Cultivators.

But later, for unknown reasons, the Immortal Alliance not only constructed a pagoda above this prison

but eventually established the Barren Wilderness Academy centered around it.

The current Great Wilderness Pagoda perfectly inherited this legacy.

The above-ground section served as a place for students to train and cultivate,

while the underground section remained the prison for Demons and Heretical Cultivators.

Even the above-ground pagoda structure was extraordinary in its own right.

When viewing the Great Wilderness Pagoda from outside, it didn’t appear particularly spectacular—

estimated to be only about a hundred meters tall.

But once they stepped inside the Great Wilderness Pagoda,

they discovered it was a completely different world within.The interior of the Great Wilderness Pagoda surprisingly contained effects similar to a Sumeru Space.

This made the space within the Great Wilderness Pagoda incredibly vast.

Just the first floor where Lu Chen and the others were located was roughly the size of an entire city.

The ecosystem inside was extremely rich.

Giving people the feeling of a Small World.

And in this place lived many unique ‘monsters’.

These monsters were created by the artifact spirit of the Great Wilderness Pagoda using some special magical techniques and Divine Abilities, with certain Demons as prototypes.

If students of the Great Wilderness Pagoda could defeat and kill these monsters,

They would be able to absorb the Spiritual Power and vital energy released by them, achieving effects similar to cultivation.

This cultivation method was somewhat similar to the concept of leveling up by killing monsters in games.

Except that the Barren Wilderness Academy had directly applied this model to reality.

And it was precisely by relying on this unique cultivation method

That the Barren Wilderness Academy became the most combat-oriented and practically experienced among all Dao Academies.

After all, most students of the Barren Wilderness Academy basically engaged in special cultivation within the Great Wilderness Pagoda continuously after enrollment.

While honing their combat skills, they constantly strengthened themselves.

With such cultivation methods, it would be strange if their combat prowess wasn’t strong.

Based on cultivation level and past performance in the Great Wilderness Pagoda,

The areas of the Great Wilderness Pagoda that students could access also differed.

The ground portion of the Great Wilderness Pagoda was divided into ten floors in total.

The first three floors could be accessed by Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage and below.

The middle three floors could only be accessed by those at the Golden Core Stage.

The following three floors were for the Nascent Soul Stage.

As for the final floor, that was where the Pagoda Master of the Great Wilderness Pagoda, who was also the Principal of the Barren Wilderness Academy, resided.

The Great Wilderness Pagoda was also a location that always had at least one Transformation Soul Stage Cultivator stationed there year-round.

“Little Lu, we should go check out the upper floors soon. I heard that the vast majority of Barren Wilderness Academy students get stuck in the first three floors.”

“Only those senior students and some teachers of the Barren Wilderness Academy have ever accessed areas above the third floor of the Great Wilderness Pagoda.”

“And I heard that every time you pass a floor for the first time, you receive certain rewards.”

“Although we’re not students of the Barren Wilderness Academy, I imagine these rewards should still apply to us.”

As she spoke, Mu Xiaoye grew increasingly eager.

After all, there was still about a week left before the Dao Academy competition.

Since they had nothing better to do,

They might as well thoroughly explore the Great Wilderness Pagoda.

Lu Chen had no particular objections to this.

However, unlike the excited Mu Xiaoye,

Shen Feiyang had remained silent ever since entering the Great Wilderness Pagoda.

It seemed he had something on his mind.

Lu Chen noticed this detail clearly.

Clearly, Shen Feiyang’s desire to enter the Great Wilderness Pagoda seemed to stem from some special purpose.

Although Lu Chen couldn’t determine what this purpose was for now,

Considering the mysterious ghost attached to him,

Lu Chen felt the key to the problem might lie there.

However, Lu Chen wasn’t worried that Shen Feiyang planned to cause trouble in the Great Wilderness Pagoda.

After all, Shen Feiyang’s character had been well proven back in Luocheng.

Moreover, even if he wanted to cause trouble,

With Lu Chen around, he wouldn’t be able to stir up much trouble.

Given Lu Chen’s current strength, especially in this era of the Immortal Alliance where Mahayana rarely appeared and Incarnations were considered the peak,

Lu Chen was practically invincible.After all, even ordinary Transformation Soul Stage Cultivators are no match for him.

In Central Province, Lu Chen has repeatedly proven this point.

Several Deity Transformation Cultivators have already fallen by his hand.

This is the absolute confidence brought by absolute strength.

(End of Chapter)