Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

A monk appeared, barefoot and clad in a kasaya. He was riding a flying python as he flew toward the Imperial Capital.

The sound of his Buddhist chant echoed, the sonic waves rolling forth like a supreme Daoist hymn. It was an irresistible sound that pulled listeners in, making them feel as if they could touch a world of ultimate bliss.

This was a Buddhist Sect master at the Celestial Pill Realm.

Only four young monks followed behind him. Their entourage seemed rather small compared to the other three of the Four Major Sects.

Yet, the immense aura emanating from the monk faintly seemed to surpass all the others.

The contingents from the Four Major Sects arrived in the Imperial Capital one after another.

"Everyone, follow me to welcome them!" A Prince appeared atop the Imperial Capital's walls.

It was none other than the Seventh Prince.

The Seventh Prince went out and welcomed the people from the Four Major Sects into the Imperial Capital.

"The people from the Four Major Sects are here!" Soon, the Imperial Capital was in an uproar, and the disciples of every clan were filled with anticipation.

For the disciples of the various clans, the assessment for the Four Major Sects was undoubtedly a chance for a fish to transform into a dragon.

Although the Empire had many experts at the Primordial Pill Realm, in the end, they were still far too few. Each major clan only had a handful of them.

Cultivators at the Celestial Pill Realm were considered the absolute peak, a rare sight to behold.

But in the Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World, while those at the Primordial Pill Realm were still powerful figures, they were not nearly as rare as in the Empire.

The Celestial Emperor summoned the emissaries of the Four Major Sects.

Afterwards, the Celestial Emperor announced that the assessment would be held in two days at the Royal Family's assessment grounds.

'Two days from now?' Ling Fei was filled with anticipation.

It wasn't just Ling Fei; nearly all the geniuses from every clan were restless, eagerly awaiting the assessment.

The Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World was where their dreams lay.

There, endless opportunities awaited.

...

「Two days later.」

At dawn, the bells of the Imperial Capital rang, the sound waves rolling out like the roar of a True Dragon!

"All students, please gather at the Imperial Capital's training grounds!" the Celestial Emperor's voice boomed.

As the sound waves spread, students from the Three Great Academies immediately pushed open their doors and emerged.

This time, everyone traveled by riding flying beasts.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The flying beasts streaked across the Void, converging on the largest training ground in the Imperial Capital.

Ling Fei and Shangguan Wan'Er flew at the forefront.

From atop the Golden Eagle, they looked down upon the pavilions and palaces below and watched the other flying beasts streaming past. The sight made one's blood boil with an inexplicable excitement.

"Now that you've reached the Celestial Spirit Realm, you'll surely distinguish yourself in this assessment," Shangguan Wan'Er said to Ling Fei beside her. "Once you do, you'll secure a place for yourself even among the Southern Wilderness Major Sects. As long as you display enough talent, you'll receive more resources."

"The sect will also grant you its greatest protection."

Every sect was the same; if you were a peerless, heaven-blessed prodigy, you would undoubtedly receive special care.

Take Ling Fei, for example. If he had remained unknown, Celestial River Academy would never have stood against the various Dukes for his sake.

"I hope so." Ling Fei nodded, his heart full of anticipation for the future.

After stepping into the Celestial Spirit Realm, he was brimming with confidence.

A moment later, a massive training ground came into view.

By now, students from the various academies were already gathering one after another.

In the middle of the training ground stood an eighteen-zhang-tall platform. Atop it, the elders from the major sects were seated on thrones, gazing down imperiously at the field below.

The Celestial Emperor was seated on the Throne, positioned above the elders of the Four Major Sects.

Several Princes and Princesses stood by his side.

The students of the Three Great Academies continued to gather below.

"Those are Wu Tongxuan and Wu Tongyou of the Wang Clan. Both have stepped into the Celestial Spirit Realm. The Wang Clan possesses the Heaven-Covering Martial Soul, which has extremely strong defense."

On the high platform, a young man in an ink robe standing beside the Beiming Sword Sect's elder pointed at the students below and spoke.

This man's name was Liu Chen, a genius from the Liu Clan who had joined the Beiming Sword Sect in the last recruitment. He had specifically accompanied a sect Steward this time to help select new disciples.

"The Wu Clan's Heaven-Covering Martial Soul is indeed formidable, but I wonder if they have any aptitude for the Sword Dao," the elder seated next to Liu Chen said lightly.

Each sect had sent two Stewards for this occasion.

The Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple, however, had only sent one.

At this moment, they were all observing the geniuses gathering below.

They would do their best to recruit any who caught their eye into their respective sects.

"That Shangguan Wan'Er of the Shangguan Clan is said to be a genius. If she can join our Beiming Sword Sect, she'll surely become a Core Disciple." Liu Chen paid no mind to the Steward's words. His gaze sharpened, locking onto the just-appeared Shangguan Wan'Er.

A burning light flickered in his eyes.

Such a peerless and talented beauty sent his imagination running wild.

"The Shangguan Clan does indeed have some foundation in the Sword Dao." The Steward nodded slightly upon hearing this, then added, "However, becoming a Core Disciple of our Beiming Sword Sect is not so easy." As he spoke, he glanced at a young man beside him—a genius from the Shangguan Clan who had joined the Beiming Sword Sect in a previous recruitment.

However, he had failed to rise through the ranks within the Beiming Sword Sect.

"That must be Ling Fei, right?" The Steward's gaze then shifted, locking onto Ling Fei beside Shangguan Wan'Er.

Although he had only just arrived in the Imperial Capital, he had already heard about the recent events that had taken place.

"That's him!" Upon hearing the name, a cold glint flashed through Liu Chen's eyes and vanished.

He, too, had received the news that a Liu Clan disciple had been killed by Ling Fei.

That Liu Ming was his cousin.

He had originally looked forward to Liu Ming joining the Beiming Sword Sect, so they could adventure together in the Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World.

Who could have known that this would happen?

"I wonder what his talent in the Sword Dao is like," the Steward said with a smile.

Liu Chen's face turned grim as he thought to himself, 'If he joins the Beiming Sword Sect, I will make him pay his blood debt in blood.'

Even if Ling Fei didn't join the Beiming Sword Sect, he had other ways to deal with him.

After all, the Liu Clan disciples weren't the only ones Ling Fei had offended.

The Wang Clan and the Li Clan both had members in the Four Major Sects.

'Just you wait!' Thinking of this, a vicious smile curled Liu Chen's lips. 'The day you set foot in the Southern Wilderness is the day you will pay your blood debt.'

Beside him, Shangguan Qingyun also frowned deeply.

However, his gaze was fixed on Shangguan Wan'Er.

They were not from the same branch of the family and were rivals within the Shangguan Clan.

If Shangguan Wan'Er rose to prominence in the Beiming Sword Sect, it would undoubtedly spell trouble for his family branch.

Unfortunately, Shangguan Wan'Er's talent was exceptional, and he was powerless to stop her rise on his own.

'Should I kill her?' Shangguan Qingyun wondered.

Nearby, beside the Steward from the Lingyun Sect, two other young men were also staring coldly at Ling Fei.

These were men from the Li and Wang Clans.

"Ling Fei? He's quite a curious young man." The Lingyun Sect's Steward wore a look of anticipation.

By now, Ling Fei had not only made a name for himself in the Empire; word of his deeds had also reached the Four Major Sects.

'I wonder how he'll perform in this assessment?' everyone wondered with anticipation.

Below the platform, Ling Fei and the other students lined up in formation, with him and Shangguan Wan'Er positioned near the front.

At that moment, he looked up. After sensing the auras of the various sect Stewards seated on the platform, his gaze hardened.

'The auras of these elders are all comparable to Elder Dean Han's,' Ling Fei muttered to himself. 'Could they be experts at the Celestial Pill Realm?'

"In the major sects, one must reach the Celestial Pill Realm to become a Steward," Shangguan Wan'Er said from beside him.

'You have to be at the Celestial Pill Realm just to be a Steward?' A glint flashed in Ling Fei's eyes.

The title "Steward" sounded grand, but in reality, they were merely errand-runners.

Above Stewards, there were Peak Masters, Hall Masters, and even Elders!

One could only imagine how profound the foundations of the major sects in the Southern Wilderness truly were.

At the same time, Ling Fei sensed the hostile gazes coming from Liu Chen and the others. 'But the look in their eyes… it feels wrong,' he thought.