24: School starts

September 1st, the first day of school.

Kunlun, Jade Void Peak summit.

Li Heng stood on the newly constructed massive white jade plaza, behind him rose a magnificent complex of palaces.

His Divine Sense spread out like an invisible spiderweb, instantly locking onto the two hundred admission notices within Dragon Country's borders, each flickering with a faint Spiritual Qi beacon.

A command, transmitted precisely through this invisible network, reached the minds of every selected individual.

"Temporarily conceal the true nature of the academy from your families."

"Simply say you've enrolled in a university or joined a special training class."

"Only inform them once you've achieved something in your studies."

Li Heng retracted his Divine Sense, clasped his hands behind his back, and calmly gazed at the surging sea of clouds below.

It wasn't that he lacked empathy, but he had to do this.

The Mortal world has its own rules. The sudden appearance of an Immortal Cultivation Academy would cause a massive stir, bringing far more trouble than imagined.

Until the students possessed sufficient self-preservation abilities, keeping a low profile was the best option.

The students might have questions, but Li Heng wasn't worried they would refuse.

Because what he offered was "Immortal Destiny."

No one could refuse such a temptation... Jiang City, Fang Yuan's home.

The atmosphere in the living room was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Fang Yuan carried a worn backpack, containing only a few changes of clothes.

"Are you really… not going to reconsider repeating a year?" Mother Fang's eyes were red-rimmed, her voice filled with worry.

"No."

Fang Yuan shook his head, not daring to look at his mother's face.

"I've found a factory, out of town, with food and lodging provided. I'll start working there."

"You child!"

Father Fang slammed the newspaper onto the table, angry at his son's lack of ambition, "How old are you? You're going to work in a factory? Is your life just going to end like this?"

"What else?"

Fang Yuan suddenly looked up, the long-suppressed grievances and unwillingness erupting at this moment, "What else can I do? Get three hundred-something points and go to a vocational college? I'd still end up in a factory after graduating! What's the difference!"

"You!" Father Fang stood up, fuming.

"Enough! Let him go!" Mother Fang pulled him back, comforting Fang Yuan, "When you're out there, don't argue with people, and take good care of yourself."

He lowered his head, his voice muffled.

"Mhm."

Fang Yuan didn't dare to stay another second, he pulled open the door and quickly walked out.

Behind him were the suppressed sighs of his parents.

Meanwhile, a completely different scene was unfolding.

At the door of Li Qingyuan's room, she held a small suitcase, fiercely confronting her parents.

"I'm not going to that repeat-year school! Just give up on that idea!" Her face was flushed red as she shouted.

"You're going today whether you like it or not!" Her father blocked the doorway, his face ashen, "We paid a hefty price to enroll you! You're so whimsical, treating your future like a game?"

"What future? Is it a future to be cooped up in that broken school doing endless test papers every day? That's not going to school, that's jail!"

"You!"

"I've already found a special training camp, with closed-off management, and the tuition is already paid!" Li Qingyuan threw out the excuse she had just received in her mind, her tone resolute, "If you force me again, I'll jump from here!"

Seeing their daughter's desperate demeanor, both parents were stunned.

Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Li Qingyuan suddenly pushed her father aside and rushed out of the house without looking back.

Behind her were the sounds of objects shattering and her mother's exasperated cries.

She ran downstairs, tears finally uncontrollable, streaming down her face.

But she didn't stop.

Across the country, two hundred chosen new students were each bidding farewell to their past in their own ways.

Guided by the instruction in their minds, they all arrived at the designated open spaces in their respective cities at the same time.

Some were in abandoned parks.

Some were on midnight sports fields.

Some were at riverside docks.

Some were on the rooftops of tall buildings.

They waited with equally excited, nervous, and slightly uneasy feelings for the "reception" that Li Heng had spoken of.

Fang Yuan stood in an unmanned street park, his heart pounding.

He repeatedly checked his surroundings; apart from a few dim streetlights, there wasn't even a ghost in sight.

Reception?

How would they be received?

Would a bus come to pick them up? Or would a mysterious portal appear, like in the movies?

As he was lost in thought, a sharp, air-rending whistle suddenly came from the sky!

He abruptly looked up.

He saw a green sword shadow, trailing a long streak of fire, plummeting straight down from the dark night sky!

It wasn't an illusion!

It was a sword!

An ancient, long sword, entirely verdant, exuding a sharp Aura and profound patterns!

It didn't crash to the ground, but stably hovered three steps in front of Fang Yuan, its tip gently bobbing up and down, emitting clear, resonant hums.

Fang Yuan's breathing completely stopped at that moment.

His mind was blank.

Immediately after, a voice, genderless, echoed directly in his mind.

"Kunlun new student Fang Yuan, step onto the Flying Sword and report to the Academy."

Fang Yuan looked at the immortal sword before him, a weapon that only existed in web novels, his legs weak, almost unable to stand.

Trembling, he uncontrollably extended his foot.

At the same moment, the same miracle was unfolding in two hundred different locations across Dragon Country.

Gusu Province, a certain internet cafe.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"

Han Li was dancing wildly on the rooftop of his apartment, looking like a madman.

In front of him, a Flying Sword also floated...

He excitedly pulled out his phone, ready to start this historic first Immortal Cultivation livestream.

However, the phone screen was completely black; pressing any button yielded no response.

"What the heck? Out of battery? No way!"

He pulled out his power bank, but it also showed no reaction.

All electronic devices malfunctioned the moment the immortal sword appeared.

"Damn it!"

Han Li cursed, no longer caring about such trivialities. He looked at the command echoing in his mind and excitedly stepped onto the sword, "I can't wait anymore! Off to cultivate immortality!"

Jiang City, in a secluded courtyard of the library.

Xie Wangsheng calmly pushed up his glasses, looking at the Flying Sword before him.

He reached out and carefully touched the sword's body, feeling the cold touch and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations emanating from it.

"So that's how it is... it uses Spiritual Qi as a guide and space as a formation for ultra-long-distance, fixed-point teleportation."

He muttered words no one could understand, then calmly and unhurriedly stepped onto it.

Li Qingyuan, who had rushed out of her home, was crying her eyes out under the designated bus stop.

When the Flying Sword descended from the sky, she first fell to the ground in fright, and then all her grievances and fears transformed into immense ecstasy.

"It's real... it's real!"

She wiped away her tears, stumbled to her feet, and unhesitatingly stepped onto the Flying Sword that belonged to her.

The next second.

Whoosh—!

Two hundred Flying Swords, carrying their new masters, simultaneously shot into the sky!

Their speed broke the sound barrier, yet there was no discomfort.

A soft protective shield enveloped them, isolating them from the high-altitude winds and low temperatures.

Fang Yuan tightly closed his eyes, and only dared to slowly open them when he felt the flight was stable.

He looked down.

The city had become a miniature sandbox.

Mountains and rivers had become textures on a map.

He looked around him.

Sword shadows, one after another, converged from all directions, eventually forming a mighty army of Flying Swords, swiftly traveling above the clouds, heading in the same direction.

This god-like method completely conquered all the new students.

Their last trace of doubt vanished like smoke.

In its place was an expectation and fervor for the Kunlun Cultivation Academy that reached its peak!

"Hey! You over there! Yes! You! Look at you, acting like you've never seen the world before, you must be Fang Yuan, right?"

An exceptionally loud voice broke the solemn atmosphere.

Fang Yuan looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a young man in a flashy T-shirt on a nearby Flying Sword, shouting and waving at him.

It was Han Li.

"I saw you on the admission list! Top scholar! Awesome!"

Before Fang Yuan could react, Han Li turned his head and shouted in another direction.

"And that crying girl! Is your name Li Qingyuan? You also have top-tier Aptitude! Great master, please guide me!"

Li Qingyuan's face turned crimson from his shouting, and she buried her head even lower.

This awkward yet comical "cloud social" eased the previously tense atmosphere considerably.

Just then, directly in front of them, an endlessly thick expanse of clouds appeared.

That cloud bank was like a wall, separating heaven and earth.

The Flying Swords did not slow down, but flew straight into it.

The moment they passed through the clouds, the sight before them made everyone stop breathing.

An indescribable immortal academy suddenly appeared before their eyes.

Countless peaks floated above a sea of clouds.

Magnificent palaces and jade towers stood in orderly rows.

Silver waterfalls cascaded from the sky, and flocks of immortal cranes sang in unison among the mountains.

The scene was a hundred times more magnificent than their wildest imaginations.

All the new students stared blankly at the miracle before them.

They knew that from today onwards, their lives would be completely changed.

Two hundred Flying Swords descended sequentially onto the massive white jade plaza, silently.

The new students stepped off the Flying Swords, their legs still a bit weak.

They looked up and saw at the end of the plaza, atop the steps.

Their Headmaster—Li Heng, stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching them.