267: Three Palaces, Seven Peaks, Eighteen Caves

Inside the pavilion.

The Xia Emperor savored a cup of fragrant tea, smiling faintly, “What a pity! That boy should have been allowed to challenge the Heavenly Barrier; letting him pass so easily, I’m afraid he’ll become arrogant!”

This second assessment was extremely difficult for many, but Xie Weilou, with the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, passed so easily. He must be feeling quite pleased with himself right now.

Zhou Xuantian chuckled, “His Majesty wants him to enter the Holy Academy. Even if he fails the assessment, he can still enter directly.”

Although he had given instructions for Xie Weilou to follow the process and strictly participate in the assessment, he had considered all potential issues.

For the first assessment, Xie Weilou had Phoenix Blood to sculpt his bones, so his physical body was not weak, and he would definitely pass.

For the second assessment, Xie Weilou had the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, which could intimidate all demons, so he could also pass.

The Xia Emperor valued Xie Weilou, and Zhou Xuantian also paid close attention to Xie Weilou. After all, he was Xie Bian’s nephew, so he deserved extra attention.

The Xia Emperor put down his teacup and chuckled, “The Dean is joking. This Holy Academy is your territory. If you don’t want him to come in, I can’t do anything about it!”

Zhou Xuantian cupped his fists and bowed, “Under the vast sky, there is no land that is not the King’s; to the ends of the earth, there is no one who is not the King’s subject. The Great Xia Holy Academy belongs to Great Xia, and as the monarch, Your Majesty can control everything.”

The Xia Emperor waved his hand lightly, “The Great Xia Holy Academy should remain aloof, constantly cultivating excellent young people for Great Xia and injecting new blood. Only then can our Great Xia develop better! Next, Dean, please take care of this boy, but he still needs to be tempered. I also want to see how far he can go.”

“Your Majesty, rest assured.”

Zhou Xuantian nodded.

“......”

The Xia Emperor smiled indifferently, then rose and departed.

— — — — — —

A grand hall in the Holy Academy.

Many powerful individuals gathered, the weakest of whom were in the Profound Manifestation Realm, and there were quite a few in the Dragon Transformation Realm.

The Holy Academy’s foundation was incredibly formidable, and this was merely the tip of the iceberg. It was precisely because of this that the Holy Academy could remain aloof and prosper to this day.

Not long after.

Hall Master Hualong led Xie Weilou and the others into the hall. Then another Hall Master Hualong arrived with a group of young people with extraordinary spirit bones. The combined total of both groups was about seventy-plus people.

“Seventy-plus people, this batch of students is quite good.”

The powerful individuals in the hall glanced over, their eyes showing approval. In this assessment, some extremely brilliant talents had emerged, worth nurturing well.

The Hall Master Hualong who brought Xie Weilou and the others looked at everyone and introduced with a smile, “Our Great Xia Holy Academy has Three Halls, Seven Peaks, and Eighteen Cave Dwellings. Most of the elders present come from the Three Halls and Seven Peaks. As for those existences in the Eighteen Cave Dwellings, they are in perennial seclusion and dislike being disturbed, so they haven’t appeared yet. If you have the chance in the future, you can witness them. Next, we will assign you to which Hall or Peak of the Holy Academy you should go.”

Another Hall Master Hualong said, “The Three Halls of the Holy Academy are Haoran Hall, Merit Hall, and Law Enforcement Hall. Haoran Hall has the Grandmaster presiding, Merit Hall accepts various tasks and has many resources, and Law Enforcement Hall is responsible for maintaining order in the Holy Academy.”

“The Seven Peaks are Xuandao Peak, Purple Gold Peak, Rotten Wood Peak, Shuiyue Peak, Kaiyang Peak, Chongyue Peak, and Thunder Peak.”

“The Second Master presides over Xuandao Peak, the Seven Gentlemen presides over Rotten Wood Peak, the Sixth Gentleman presides over Chongyue Peak, Lord Song presides over Thunder Peak. As for the other masters, they each occupy a peak or a cave dwelling.”

“......”

After listening, everyone’s eyes showed excitement. The Three Halls and Seven Peaks were all powerful. If they could enter one of them, their future path, if not completely smooth, would certainly be much easier.

Especially those halls and peaks where one of the Seven Gentlemen presided, they were even more appealing.

The two Hall Masters Hualong noticed everyone’s expressions and couldn’t help but smile. They looked at the elders in the hall and mused, “Everyone, it’s time for you to choose!”

“Good!”

The elders in the hall nodded with smiles.

They came here only to select good talents, to see if they could take them as disciples. If they couldn’t take disciples, it didn’t matter; they had to bring some young people to their respective halls and peaks.

They had all been able to observe this assessment through the Sky-Peeking Mirror, so they naturally knew the situation of everyone and already had their choices in mind.

A middle-aged beautiful woman walked out. Her gaze fell on Ji Yuehua, Second Princess of East Zhou, and she said with a faint smile, “I am from Shuiyue Peak. The Seven Gentlemen happens to lack a disciple, so I am here on her behalf to take a disciple. Are you willing?”

Ji Yuehua, Second Princess of East Zhou was very suitable for Shuiyue Peak; her talent in all aspects was excellent, catching the eye of the Seven Gentlemen.

Ji Yuehua, Second Princess of East Zhou bowed, “Yuehua is willing.”

“Where is Luo Dong City?”

A burly man walked out.

Luo Dong City stepped forward and bowed, “Disciple is here!”

The burly man sized up Luo Dong City, then nodded lightly, “The Sixth Gentleman believes your blade dao is extraordinary and wishes to take you as his disciple. Are you willing to enter my Chongyue Peak?”

Luo Dong City’s heart stirred, and he quickly bowed, “Disciple is willing.”

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy in white walked out. He softly said, “Where is Ghost Face?”

“Disciple is here!”

Ghost Face immediately walked out. It was indeed the masked man carrying a coffin; his name was Ghost Face.

The boy in white smiled and said, “The Fifth Master is not within the Three Halls or Seven Peaks. He has his own peak and cave dwelling and wishes to take you as his disciple. What are your thoughts?”

“Disciple is willing.”

Ghost Face’s body trembled, and he quickly bowed.

“Very good!”

The boy in white nodded lightly.

Surprise appeared in the eyes of those present. The Seven Gentlemen rarely took disciples; some of them didn’t even have any, because ordinary people simply couldn’t catch their eye. Yet, several masters were taking disciples now. These young people were quite lucky!

Then, a middle-aged man in a fiery red robe looked at Tantai Yan, “I am an elder from Kaiyang Peak. Our Kaiyang Peak specializes in artifact refining, alchemy, and cultivation. How about joining our Kaiyang Peak? The Peak Master intends to take you as her disciple.”

“Disciple is willing.”

Tantai Yan stepped forward and bowed.

Subsequently, other elders also selected people. The few who passed the second assessment became highly sought after. They were all exceptionally remarkable, and their names became known to everyone.

They were Ji Yuehua, Second Princess of East Zhou, Luo Dong City, Ghost Face, Tantai Yan, Xu Zhiyin, Li Changqing, Ning Wuji, Zichuan Yao, and Lu Yixing. These nine individuals were all taken as disciples by powerful existences.

However, there was one exception: Xie Weilou. From beginning to end, no one inquired about him.

The elders present understood that this Young Master did not need them to speak, because he could freely choose any powerful individual in the Holy Academy as his teacher.

In short, as long as Xie Weilou was willing, he could seek guidance from any powerful individual in the Holy Academy.

After a good while.

All seventy-plus disciples had found their destinations and left with the people from their respective halls and peaks.

Inside the hall.

It instantly became empty, with only Xie Weilou and a Hall Master Hualong remaining.

This Hall Master Hualong said to Xie Weilou, “Young Master, the Dean is fishing at Star Lake. He wants you to go see him.”

“Alright!”

Xie Weilou yawned and walked out of the hall.