Yang Dianfeng came out of retreat! Elder Hu was surprised!
At the same time.
That night, at Seven Stars Academy.
Amidst lush green peaks, where Spiritual Qi was abundant, an Immortal Cave stood. This was a privilege exclusively for the top ten Prodigy Disciples of the Inner Courtyard.
"Lin Dong..."
From within the Immortal Cave, a young man's voice, filled with rage, echoed.
The young man was clad in green robes, his handsome face twisted with a sinister expression. A scar on the side of his face added a touch of ferocity to his demeanor.
"How can an Outer Courtyard Disciple be worthy of snatching my Divine Pool slot?!"
Thunderous rage and terrifying Sword Intent surged in all directions, filling the entire Immortal Cave, illuminating the dark night, and causing passing Disciples to show expressions of shock.
"So strong!"
"Is this the strength of the Inner Courtyard's top ten?"
Outside the Immortal Cave, an Inner Sect Disciple exclaimed in shock, "Senior Brother Yang Feng, he's only in the Hua Hai Realm, yet he has already comprehended Sword Intent! Heavens, it won't be long before our Seven Stars Academy produces another Sword Dao expert!"
Yang Feng was known as Yang Dianfeng, and also as the Sword Maniac!
He was once hailed as the Prodigy with the strongest Sword Dao talent in the entire Seven Stars Academy.
But now it was different; Lin Dong had arrived.
Speaking of Lin Dong, many Disciples looked towards Yang Dianfeng's Immortal Cave, revealing meaningful expressions. Given Senior Brother Yang's personality, it seemed a battle between the two was inevitable.
"Where is Lin Dong?"
Inside the Immortal Cave, Yang Dianfeng's rage showed no signs of diminishing: "Take me to him. He hasn't even entered my Inner Courtyard yet, and he dares to snatch something from an Inner Courtyard Senior Brother?"
"He's got guts!"
"Senior Brother, I'll teach him the rules of the Inner Courtyard!"
Yang Dianfeng's tone was cold, his sharp aura as chilling as frost, like a drawn Divine Weapon. He walked out of the Immortal Cave.
He had fought hard to secure the Divine Pool slot, which concerned his future Cultivation path.
He had been waiting for the Divine Pool to open, intending to use it to Breakthrough to the Tiangang Realm in one go and strive for a slot to the Seven Stars Main Academy.
To experience a broader world.
The Main Academy was a Holy Land for Cultivation that every Disciple of the Seven Stars Academy's branch academies yearned for.
The Seven Stars Academy Main Academy was located in the central region of Qingzhou.
The central region of Qingzhou was the most prosperous place for Cultivation in Qingzhou, where countless Prodigies rose, and Divine Bodies and King Bodies were countless.
Heirs of various Great Dao lineages competed for the world's fortune and vied for the destiny of an emperor!
Experts were as numerous as carp crossing a river, countless!
To outsiders, Yunlan City was merely a corner of the world.
Only in the central region could one truly glimpse the vast power of Cultivation experts!
Only by reaching the Tiangang Realm and going to Qingzhou could one barely be considered a Prodigy and have the Opportunity to be nurtured by the Main Academy.
But now, he had only been in seclusion, and the Elder actually told him that the Divine Pool had closed...
His Opportunity to Breakthrough to the Tiangang Realm was gone. How was he to strive for a slot to the Main Academy?
All of this was caused by an Outer Courtyard Disciple. How could Yang Dianfeng not be enraged?! If this caused him to lose his slot to the Main Academy, no one could bear the responsibility.
But in reality, what Yang Dianfeng didn't know was...
The Divine Pool's opening could have originally waited for him to come out of seclusion. Even the Elders hadn't expected Lin Dong to be such a Prodigy, actually draining the Divine Pool's Divine Liquid by himself.
Even the Elders were helpless, which led to the Divine Pool's closure.
Even if the Divine Pool slot couldn't be reclaimed, he still wanted to tell the entire Seven Stars Academy that his, Yang Dianfeng's, things weren't so easily taken and required a painful price.
"Senior Brother Yang, Junior Brother Lin is different from others!"
"He's in the Hua Hai Realm, and he even killed a half-step fifth-rank Demon King!"
Upon hearing Yang Dianfeng's words, the faces of the two Inner Courtyard Disciples in the Immortal Cave couldn't help but change.
Disciples who entered the Inner Courtyard from the Outer Courtyard, at first, weren't they all arrogant, thinking they would achieve great things in the future?
But shortly after entering the Inner Courtyard, who wasn't disciplined by Inner Courtyard Disciples, their tempers smoothed out?
This had been the rule of the Inner Courtyard for so many years.
Once in the Inner Courtyard, if he was a Dragon, he had to coil; if he was a Tiger, he had to crouch.
But Lin Dong was different from other newly arrived Outer Courtyard Disciples. He was an extremely young Cultivator in the Early Stage of the Hua Hai Realm, and he even leaped ranks to kill a weakened Demon King!
As for Lin Dong destroying the Bai Family and killing the Bai Family's Tiangang Realm expert, it seemed it would take three to five days for that news to reach the Academy.
"What if he's in the Early Stage of the Hua Hai Realm?"
Yang Dianfeng was a little surprised to hear that Lin Dong was in the Hua Hai Realm. It seemed this child did have some extraordinary qualities, no wonder he could exceptionally obtain the Divine Pool slot.
But it was only a slight surprise.
A Cultivator should advance fearlessly, unafraid of experts whose Realm is higher than their own, let alone a weaker one whose Realm is lower than their own.
"When I was in the Middle Stage of the Hua Hai Realm, I once killed a Late Stage Hua Hai Realm expert by leaping ranks!"
"Now I have even Breakthrough to the seventh level of the Hua Hai Realm and comprehended Sword Intent. What is an Early Stage Spiritual Sea Realm Cultivator worth?"
"As for a weakened Demon King, there's no need to mention it!"
"Even if a Heavenly Dipper expert were here, I would dare to contend! Let alone a weakened half-step fifth-rank Demon King!"
"Senior Brother Yang, Lin Dong has also comprehended Sword Intent..."
"What? He also comprehended Sword Intent?" Yang Dianfeng frowned. Only he knew how difficult it was to comprehend Sword Intent in the Hua Hai Realm.
If he hadn't been born with a Sword Body, naturally close to the Dao of the Sword, it would have been impossible for him to comprehend Sword Intent in the Hua Hai Realm.
But Lin Dong comprehending Sword Intent made him somewhat surprised.
"Hmph, what if he comprehended Sword Intent? There are also strengths and weaknesses in Sword Intent. I am of the Taihang Sword Body, naturally close to the Dao of the Sword, and I am confident of being invincible among Cultivators of the same rank!"
Yang Dianfeng was very confident.
He had comprehended Sword Intent, and with Sword Intent empowering his Natal Divine Sword, once the Divine Sword was unsheathed, even Tiangang Realm experts would perish.
...
The next day.
Lin Family Courtyard.
Lin Dong stood tall, his robes fluttering, his three thousand strands of hair dancing wildly.
Last night, he Cultivated some of the Lin Family's Divine Abilities, as well as some Divine Abilities obtained from the Bai Family, gaining some more Divine Ability methods.
Now, he was going to the Academy to register for Inner Courtyard Disciple status.
To truly become an Inner Sect Disciple.
Lin Dong stepped into the sky; having reached the Tiangang Realm, he could walk through the air.
His speed was extremely fast. With every step he took, forests and vast mountain ranges rapidly receded beneath his feet.
What originally took more than ten minutes to reach the Academy now only took two and a half minutes before he saw the Academy, ancient and imbued with a sense of history, nestled among majestic peaks in the distance.
Upon arriving a mile from the Academy, Lin Dong glided to the entrance.
Entering the Academy, along the way, fewer people pointed at him; instead, more cast respectful gazes at him, bowing to Lin Dong one after another.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Lin!"
"Mm, no need for formalities. All Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, Cultivate well."
Lin Dong nodded in response to each one, also experiencing what it was like to be an idol.
Lin Dong did not rush to the Inner Courtyard. He arrived at the registration hall and saw Elder Hu still sitting in a chair outside the hall, feigning sleep with his eyes closed.
"Elder Hu!"
Lin Dong stepped forward and respectfully bowed.
Elder Hu's eyelids twitched. He was about to say which brat disturbed his sleep, but upon closer inspection, he discovered Lin Dong and couldn't help but be delighted.
"Oh, you brat, have you finished dealing with your Family matters? You actually have time to visit an old man like me!"
"Thanks to Elder Hu, I, Lin, am safe and sound. This junior specifically came to see you!" Lin Dong smiled: "This is some good wine I brought for you!"
"Heh, you came, and you still brought wine! How could you!" Although he said he was embarrassed, Elder Hu still unceremoniously accepted the good wine, his gaze locked on the two wine gourds Lin Dong was carrying.
He opened the lid and sniffed, the rich aroma of the wine filling the air. Elder Hu's face was filled with intoxication.
Learning that Lin Dong was there to register as an Inner Courtyard Disciple, Elder Hu waved his hand: "You go handle the Inner Courtyard admission procedures first. Come to my place tonight; I have something to talk to you about. We won't stop until we're drunk!"
Watching Lin Dong's departing back, Elder Hu frowned: "Strange, how is it that after only one day apart from this brat Lin, I can no longer discern his Cultivation?"