Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Inside the Cold Cave.

Ling Fei had successfully comprehended the middle part of the Celestial River Sword Technique.

He now understood the True Intent of the Celestial River Sword Technique, gaining a new level of enlightenment in the Sword Dao.

After another two days, he had thoroughly mastered this middle section.

A powerful True Sword Dao Intent now vaguely emanated from him.

He had become a Sword Dao expert, one who could condense Sword Intent.

This was a whole level higher than merely condensing Sword Momentum!

'Now I can get back to studying the Wind Shadow Step!' With his breakthrough in the Sword Dao, Ling Fei began to focus on the Wind Shadow Step.

He opened the Martial Arts Manual.

A landscape painting appeared before him.

In the painting, a fierce wind seemed to howl as a figure walked within it.

"Wind Shadow Step: Man moves with the wind, the wind moves with man. Wind and Man Unity is the stage of Great Success. To learn the Wind Shadow Step, one must first comprehend the Mystical of the Wind!"

The Step Method General Outline appeared in the manual.

If he focused his senses, he could feel a gale howling from the very page.

"'To learn the Wind Shadow Step, one must first comprehend the Mystical of the Wind!'" Ling Fei murmured, then immersed his Heart Spirit into the page.

A fierce wind howled from it, a hurricane-like force that threatened to pull him in.

'Move with the Wind!' Ling Fei then recalled the feeling of Qin Hui's attack.

Back then, he had felt as if Qin Hui had merged with the hurricane.

'That's the Realm of being one with the wind!' Ling Fei muttered. 'Only by comprehending the Mystical of the Wind can I reach this Realm of Wind and Man Unity.'

So, he didn't rush. Instead, he first focused on comprehending the Mystical of the Wind.

Only by doing so could he truly master the Wind Shadow Step.

...

「Time flew.」

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since Ling Fei's return from the glacier.

Celestial River Academy was bustling with excitement.

The academy's quarterly assessment was underway.

The quarterly assessment was a test of the students' progress.

Those who distinguished themselves could earn rewards from the academy.

Ordinary students could even challenge those in the Genius Class.

If successful, they could take the loser's place in the Genius Class.

Furthermore, the top-ranked students in the Genius Class would also receive handsome rewards.

In short, the quarterly assessment was a grand event at Celestial River Academy, capturing the attention of the entire student body every time it was held.

The new students' quarterly assessment was now on its third day.

The matches for the ordinary classes had concluded over the past three days.

Three challengers had even succeeded, earning their spots in the Genius Class.

Within a massive arena in Celestial River Academy's new student area, the surrounding stands were packed with people.

On the enormous Martial Arts Testing Platform at the center, Shangguan Piaoyu was currently facing off against Zhou Qingshui.

On the Waiting Battle Platform, Shangguan Yurou and the others were watching the match.

"Piaoyu's sword momentum is nimble, but her comprehension is a bit lacking compared to Qingshui's." Shangguan Yurou shook her head slightly. "Zhou Qingshui is going to win."

Nearby, Liu Ming, Pang Fei, Zhou Feng, and the others sat upright in their chairs.

They kept their eyes closed, however, seemingly uninterested in the match on the platform.

On an adjacent observation platform, Instructor Ruo Huan and many other academy instructors were also watching the match.

But clearly, none of them were very interested.

In contrast, the ordinary students nearby were all shouting and cheering for Shangguan Piaoyu and Zhou Qingshui.

"Now that geniuses like Shangguan Yurou, Zhou Feng, Liu Ming, and Pang Fei have all stepped into the Innate Realm, their matches are the only ones worth looking forward to."

Some of the nearby senior students were also lacking interest.

For them, the only new student matches worth watching involved the few top prodigies.

After all, if these prodigies continued to develop, they might one day be able to contend with the senior students.

A scan of the stands would reveal senior students such as Liu Yuan, Tang Hai, and Huang Xiaoman.

Even Qin Rong could be spotted in the crowd.

'The new student assessment has been going on for three days, but that Ling Fei still hasn't shown up?' Qin Rong's brows furrowed as he muttered to himself. 'According to my sources, he's already back and turned in his task. But my cousin Qin Hui has been missing for twenty days. He's most likely perished.'

'My cousin Qin Hui was a dignified Innate Realm expert. His Swordsmanship and Body Technique were both approaching the level of the Mid Stage of Innate. How could an expert of his caliber fail while trying to assassinate a mere Body Tempering Realm cultivator?' Qin Rong's brows knitted tightly. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't understand how Qin Hui could have failed.

But the outcome was clear: Qin Hui had vanished without a trace, while Ling Fei had returned.

Filled with suspicion, Qin Rong hoped to find answers during this assessment.

Unfortunately, after three straight days without any sign of Ling Fei, his anxiety only grew.

Aside from Qin Rong, others had their own suspicions as well.

"The top ten battles are about to begin, but that Ling Fei still hasn't appeared. Is he planning to skip this competition?" a student from the Genius Class remarked.

"Heh, now that Young Master Liu, Young Master Zhou, Young Master Pang, and even Miss Yurou have all stepped into the Innate Realm, far surpassing the other geniuses, Ling Fei must have heard. He's probably hiding because he's afraid of a humiliating defeat. I bet he'll pop out once the competition is over," another student laughed.

"After the competition? I think he won't dare show his face until he breaks through to the Innate Realm himself. How else could he possibly contend with the likes of Young Master Liu?"

"Heh, good point. By then, if Young Master Liu and the others issue a challenge, Ling Fei would lose too much face to refuse."

All sorts of discussions rippled through the crowd.

"It's a shame we won't get to see this top-ranked genius in action."

"I heard he's from a Humble Family. I was really hoping he would represent us!"

As these discussions spread, many students looked disappointed.

"Xiaoman, your little beau is taking his sweet time. People are starting to talk, you know!"

On one of the Observation Platforms, Mu Xue raised an eyebrow, teasingly glancing at Huang Xiaoman.

The non-stop chatter nearby was making her and her friends anxious as well.

"Yeah! We all came here just to see your little beau show off his amazing skills. It's so boring with him being a no-show!"

"If he doesn't appear by the end of this competition, all the prestige he's built up will just vanish!"

"Such a shame. I was all ready to make him my new idol!"

The group of girls looked at Huang Xiaoman with faces full of regret.

Listening to her friends chattering away, Huang Xiaoman felt a headache coming on.

She had gone to look for Ling Fei three days ago.

However, when she arrived at the Cold Cave, all she found was a sign he had left behind that read: "Do Not Disturb."

Seeing it, she could only leave in silence.

After all, one couldn't afford to be disturbed at a critical juncture in their cultivation.

This was especially true for a Cultivator at the Ninth Layer Body Tempering Perfection Realm.

The slightest interruption could pull them from a state of enlightenment and jeopardize their breakthrough.

So, Huang Xiaoman had suppressed her feelings of longing.

"Why don't you go look for him, Xiaoman?" one of the girls suggested.

"He's probably in seclusion trying to break through to the Innate Realm. I'd better not disturb him," Huang Xiaoman replied.

Many of her friends had wanted her to take them to find Ling Fei.

But Huang Xiaoman had refused them all.

...

Inside the Cold Cave, Ling Fei was still in seclusion.

Outside, however, the gossip about him grew increasingly intense as the battles for the top ten began.

Many faces were etched with disappointment.

Among them were not a few girls who admired Ling Fei.

Of course, some defended him, believing Ling Fei wasn't so cowardly.

'I wonder what his Realm is now?' On the Waiting Battle Platform, Shangguan Yurou's limpid eyes blinked as she wondered to herself.

She, too, was eagerly anticipating Ling Fei's appearance.

However, in her opinion, the young man was still some distance from the Innate Realm.

After all, it hadn't been that long since he'd reached the Nine Layers of Body Tempering.

「Inside the Cold Cave.」

Ling Fei rose, ending his cultivation session.

He closed the Martial Arts manual for the Wind Shadow Step.

'The Wind Shadow Step is divided into three stages: Move with the Wind, Wind Follows Man, and Wind and Man Unity! I've now reached the stage of Move with the Wind, but to achieve Wind Follows Man, I need to comprehend more of the Mystical of the Wind. Unfortunately, the Mystical from this manual has already dissipated.'

As such, the Martial Arts manual was no longer of much use to him.

'I need to find a Wind Valley to comprehend the Mystical of the Wind. I'll have a better chance of understanding the winds of nature from within a hurricane,' Ling Fei mused.

It was always easier to attain enlightenment by observing the natural world.

'First, I'll return this manual to the Martial Pavilion.' With that thought, he left the Cold Cave.

Martial Arts manuals had to be returned, even if the Power of True Intent within them was depleted.

Soon, Ling Fei went to the Martial Arts Pavilion and returned the manual.

'But where can I find a place with violent hurricanes?' Ling Fei wondered as he stepped out of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

"Huh? Isn't that Young Master Ling?" Just as he was lost in thought, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Miss Zhou!" Ling Fei looked up to see a tall, beautiful woman with delicate features.

It was Zhou Xiaoyu, the young woman from the Task Hall's reception office.

"Young Master Ling, what are you doing here?" Zhou Xiaoyu looked at Ling Fei in astonishment.

"Why shouldn't I be here?" Seeing her expression, Ling Fei was puzzled.

But as he thought about it, something did feel off.

He had barely seen anyone since leaving the cave.

It seemed like something big was happening at the academy.

"It's the new student assessment! Right now, the Genius Class matches are happening. Shouldn't you be at the arena?" Zhou Xiaoyu said.

"New student assessment?" Ling Fei paused, surprised. "I had no idea!"

"You had no idea? What have you been doing all this time?" Zhou Xiaoyu rolled her eyes at him. 'How could he not know about something this important?'

"I've been in seclusion," Ling Fei said, a little embarrassed.

"Seclusion?" Zhou Xiaoyu shot him another look, but then it clicked. 'He must be one of those cultivation fanatics.'

Otherwise, he never would have achieved Martial Arts Innate at his age.

"The matches probably aren't over yet. You still have a chance."

Zhou Xiaoyu smiled in anticipation. "Hee hee, if you distinguish yourself in the new student assessment, the academy gives out rewards!"

"Rewards?" Ling Fei didn't seem very interested.

"Things are slow at the Task Hall anyway, so I'll go with you to watch the new student competition." Zhou Xiaoyu's face, however, was full of excitement.

She really wanted to see if this young man from a Humble Family could truly overwhelm all the other geniuses!

"Alright." Ling Fei shrugged with an awkward smile, then headed toward the new student arena with Zhou Xiaoyu.