Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Liu Yuan departed.

With that, the pressure on Ling Fei and the others dissipated.

Unconsciously, his arm around Huang Xiaoman loosened.

"Not bad, Junior Brother Ling Fei. You did great today. When I have some free time, I'll find you a few cute and innocent first-years as a reward!"

Huang Xiaoman said, patting Ling Fei on the shoulder.

Hearing this, Ling Fei rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, 'Is this girl just going to use me and toss me aside?'

"Sis!" At that moment, Huang Liang cried out again. He frowned, lifted his head, and stared at his sister with a serious expression. "Sis, didn't you say Ling Fei was your sweetheart? Why are you finding other girls for him? Shouldn't you be finding one or two for me?"

He felt deeply wronged.

At his words, Huang Xiaoman's expression immediately stiffened. Her gaze fixed on Huang Liang, brimming with murderous intent.

'This wretched kid… How did I end up with such a hopeless little brother?' she fumed internally. She had just found a graceful way out of the awkwardness of calling Ling Fei her childhood sweetheart and lover, and now this blockhead of a brother had to take it seriously.

How could she ever show her face again?

'Even if there was going to be any chasing, Ling Fei should be the one chasing me!'

However, Huang Liang seemed oblivious to his sister's inner turmoil.

He continued to stare eagerly at Huang Xiaoman.

His eyes were filled with grievance.

It seemed he was genuinely upset that his sister was going to find other girls for Ling Fei.

"The hell I will! You're still so young, and all you think about is romance. From now on, you better focus on your cultivation and strive to reach the Innate Realm. Otherwise, I'll beat you to death," Huang Xiaoman, her anger flaring, scolded him harshly.

"But... but Ling Fei is only sixteen too!" Huang Liang protested, looking aggrieved.

"But nothing!"

BONK!

Truly exasperated, Huang Xiaoman gave Huang Liang a sharp rap on the head.

"Do you have his kind of talent?" Huang Xiaoman snapped.

"Oh." After getting rapped on the head by his sister, Huang Liang finally quieted down.

He realized his sister seemed to be genuinely angry.

But he wondered inwardly, 'Was it really something to get so angry about?'

"Ahem." Seeing the siblings' exchange, Shangguan Qingmu let out a dry cough.

He had witnessed Huang Xiaoman's ferocity at the academy before.

But now it seemed that what he had seen was just the tip of the iceberg.

Shangguan Qingmu's cough brought Huang Xiaoman back to her senses.

However, she acted as if nothing had happened.

"Are the enrollment procedures finished?" Huang Xiaoman asked, raising an eyebrow with the air of a proud swan.

"They're done!" Shangguan Qingmu replied. "Let's take them to register their names on the Human List first."

"Alright!" Huang Xiaoman nodded.

Then, the group headed forward together.

"Young Master Shangguan, that Liu Yuan is so arrogant. Who is he?" Zhao Fa couldn't help but ask as they walked.

"The Empire has four great Clans: the Liu Clan, the Wang Clan, the Shangguan Clan… Liu Yuan is a direct lineage disciple of the Liu Clan, and his talent is immense." Shangguan Qingmu's eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Because of his status, he acts very domineeringly at Celestial River Academy, and many people don't dare to offend him."

"It's said that an ancestor of the Liu Clan obtained the Essence Blood of an Ancient Celestial Spiritual Snake, so their clan members inherited the Spiritual Snake Bloodline. If they awaken this bloodline, they gain many powerful abilities. The geniuses of the Liu Clan are difficult opponents. If you encounter them alone in the future, you must be careful," Shangguan Qingmu warned.

After all, he couldn't stay with Ling Fei and the others all the time.

'People from the four great Clans!' Zhao Fa silently committed these Clans to memory.

"Spiritual Snake Bloodline?" Hearing this, Ling Fei's brow furrowed slightly.

Having been well-read in ancient texts since childhood, he had some understanding of bloodlines.

It was said that such individuals were born with various mystical qualities and possessed more techniques than ordinary people.

These Bloodline Martial Artists could often use this to overwhelm others of the same level.

"Does the academy just let senior students bully the new ones?" Zhao Fa asked with a frown.

Although Liu Yuan hadn't targeted him this time, the incident made him realize that the academy's waters ran deeper than he had imagined. It seemed just surviving here would be a trial in itself.

"The academy has rules. Seniors can't bully new students, and students can't fight privately. Even for a duel, both parties must agree," Shangguan Qingmu explained. "However, a senior has a hundred ways to bully a new student, so every batch of newcomers goes through a trial period in their first year."

This was also considered a test for the students.

If they couldn't even handle this, how could they deal with major events in the future?

"But don't you worry. If they cause trouble for you, you can come find me," Shangguan Yurou said. "Our Shangguan Clan isn't afraid of them, especially here at Celestial River Academy. Hee hee, if they dare to cause trouble, my older sister will make them tremble in fear."

"Your sister?" Ling Fei's brow twitched slightly.

"That's right!" Shangguan Yurou said with a smile, batting her long eyelashes. "My sister is a super genius. You'll find out soon enough."

「That's Celestial River Mountain!」

After taking a side path, the group arrived before a tall mountain within the academy.

The mountain was very high, about a thousand meters, sitting right there on the academy grounds.

They now stood inside a valley.

"Celestial River Academy has three lists: the Celestial List, the Earth List, and the Human List!" Arriving at Celestial River Valley, Shangguan Qingmu continued his explanation.

Ling Fei and the others listened intently.

"The Celestial List is the combat power ranking for High Level Students. It's cleared automatically after each class graduates and is then replaced by the next class. The Earth List is for Mid Level Students, and the Human List is for new students like you. This list represents a student's comprehensive potential, so the academy takes it very seriously. Later, you must give it your all and not hold anything back," Shangguan Qingmu said.

"Thank you for the guidance, Young Master Shangguan." Zhao Fa, Chen Feng, and the others were full of gratitude and took his words to heart.

'Assessing a student's comprehensive strength with a ranking list?' Ling Fei was full of anticipation.

Entering Celestial River Valley, they were met with the sight of a cliff face that looked as if it had been carved by a sword.

In front of the cliff was a huge, open area.

In the center of this area stood three massive monuments, each ten zhang high.

The monuments shone like Crystal Stones and were carved with ancient patterns. As they drew near, Ling Fei and the others felt a vast aura wash over them.

Looking up, they could see that all three monuments were covered with densely packed names.

"Those are the student rankings, but the lists only display the top one hundred people," Shangguan Qingmu explained.

Each list only showed the top hundred.

It would change according to each person's strength.

Therefore, any student could come here to be tested as their strength changed.

Of course, this was just an objective ranking.

Who was truly stronger or weaker still depended on actual combat.

After all, someone might have great comprehensive Power but be weak in actual combat, so they wouldn't necessarily hold the top spot securely.

There were also those who were low-key and didn't test with their full strength.

"The Human List!" Ling Fei's gaze shifted upward toward the Human List before him.

His eyes moved up, naturally locking onto the top three names.

First: Pang Fei!

Second: Zhou Feng!

Third: Liu Ming!

…

'Liu Ming? Could he be from the Liu Clan?' Ling Fei's brow furrowed slightly.

"This Liu Ming is indeed from the Liu Clan," Shangguan Yurou said. "He's only fifteen, but he has already reached the Ninth Layer Body Tempering Perfection Realm."

Because they were both from great clans, they had known each other since they were young.

Mentioning Liu Ming, Shangguan Yurou's brow furrowed slightly.

"If it weren't for his age, I think he could be ranked first on the Human List!"

Shangguan Qingmu also gave this Liu Ming an extremely high evaluation.

"Are the disciples of the Liu Clan that strong?" Ling Fei's brow furrowed slightly.

"The Liu Clan is indeed not to be underestimated," Shangguan Qingmu said.

Even though he was incredibly proud, he had to admit the strength of the Liu Clan's disciples.

"Of course, my Shangguan Clan isn't bad either. Hee hee, you'll see in a bit," Shangguan Yurou said with a smile.

Ling Fei's brow twitched, his eyes also showing anticipation.

"You won't be bad either," Shangguan Yurou encouraged Ling Fei.

"Mm," Ling Fei nodded. He was naturally full of confidence in himself.

Right now, Ling Fei was merely curious about the geniuses from the various clans.

Then, his gaze shifted to the Earth List nearby.

His eyes moved up and naturally fell on the top ten names.

First: Liu Fei!

Second: Han Jiuliang!

Third: Shangguan Hao!

…

"Another Liu Clan disciple?" Seeing this, Ling Fei frowned.

It now seemed that the Liu Clan was truly a great clan with a profound heritage.

The strength of these younger disciples was enough to showcase the deep foundation of a great clan!

After another frown, Ling Fei walked over to the Celestial List.

Shangguan Qingmu and the others followed.

First: Shangguan Wan'Er!

Second: Liu Rulong!

Third: Han Bing!

Fourth: Zhou Kuang!

Fifth: Shangguan Qingfeng!

Sixth: Liu Yuan!

Seventh: Han Jing!

…

"Shangguan Wan'Er?" Seeing the name ranked first, Ling Fei couldn't help but feel a sense of astonishment.

"Judging by the name, it sounds like a woman!" Wu Dapang also narrowed his eyes.

They were all surprised by this.

A woman ranked number one was truly hard to imagine.

"Hee hee, that's my older sister! The Shangguan Clan's once-in-a-millennium genius!" Shangguan Yurou said with a proud smile.

"It's your sister!" Hearing this, Ling Fei had a sudden realization. No wonder this girl said she wasn't afraid of the Liu Clan; it was all because her sister had her back.

The number one on the Celestial List!

A person like that was indeed qualified to be so confident.

'But I don't need anyone to have my back,' Ling Fei murmured, his gaze then shifting.

"That Liu Yuan is actually ranked sixth!" Seeing this, Ling Fei's brow furrowed slightly.

Only now did he understand why Liu Yuan was so arrogant.

Being ranked sixth made him a genius in his own right.

One had to know that Celestial River Academy had tens of thousands of students in each grade.

To be ranked in the top ten among ten thousand geniuses was an incredibly rare feat.

"This ranking should be refreshed," Shangguan Qingmu said from the side, his brow furrowed slightly.

Then, he stood before the Celestial List.

Immediately, his gaze sharpened, and a fierce aura began to build around him.

"To test your strength, you must use your full-power strike and then carve your name on it," Shangguan Qingmu explained.

Then, his gaze focused, and he pointed his right hand into the Void.