275: Wandao Academy's admissions process is about to begin.

A month's time passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep within the Xie Family mansion, inside a quiet bedroom.

Xie Qingyu suddenly awoke from his coma, his eyes snapping open, a lingering trace of the golden thread sword phantom and the terror of near-death still remaining deep within his pupils.

Almost instinctively, he clenched one hand into a fist, ready to lunge forward, while the other hand abruptly reached for his waist —the place where a cold, sharp edge had ruthlessly sliced through him.

What his hand touched was intact skin.

Only a shallow, barely visible pink mark proved that it had not been merely a nightmare.

Yet, the chilling sensation of his body being separated and his life force draining away was branded deep into his Soul.

"Young... Young Master is awake!" The maid keeping watch nearby was startled, then her face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly turned and rushed out of the room to inform others.

Before long, hurried footsteps approached from afar, the bedroom door was pushed open, and a crowd poured in.

Leading the group was the solemn-faced Xie Nian, followed closely by Xie Qingyu's parents.

Xie Nian quickly walked to the bedside, looking at his cousin, who still had a confused look in his eyes and was unconsciously touching his waist and abdomen, a complex, hard-to-read emotion flashing in his own eyes.

Ignoring the dissuasion from those behind him, he brazenly raised his hand —

"Slap!"

A crisp, loud slap landed squarely on Xie Qingyu's face, making him turn his head away, his cheek quickly turning red and swollen.

"What are you doing! Qingyu just woke up!" Xie Qingyu's mother immediately stepped forward, protectively shielding her son with a pained expression.

"What if he just woke up!" Xie Nian erupted in anger. "You dared to challenge that person?! Do you know who he is?"

Xie Qingyu touched his stinging cheek and subconsciously replied, "The Heaven Above Heavens'... Divine Son?"

Hearing this, Xie Nian grew even angrier.

He gasped roughly, his voice trembling with agitation: "You know that, too! The Divine Son of Heaven Above Heavens... That is the Divine Son of Heaven Above Heavens!"

This sentence was practically roared, filled with lingering fear and an indescribable awe.

"Do you know what kind of place Heaven Above Heavens is?! Do you know how strong he is?! You dared to challenge him —you truly haven't died before! I'll see if you dare to do that again next time!"

Xie Qingyu touched his burning, stinging cheek and the corner of his lip. Listening to his cousin's roar, the memory of his near-death experience surged into his mind like a tide again, cold and suffocating.

As he listened, the forced stubbornness belonging to a young man finally collapsed.

Overwhelming grievance and lingering fear rushed forth. His nose stung, and he abruptly twisted around, burying himself in his mother's embrace beside him, his voice choked with sobs and trembling:

"I was so scared... I almost died..."

He hugged his mother tightly, his body shaking uncontrollably, venting all the terror he had accumulated in that moment.

Xie Qingyu's mother gently patted his back, softly comforting him: "It's alright, it's alright. It's good that you are safe now..."

Xie Nian looked at his cousin's vulnerable appearance, stripped of all pretense and returning to his youthful Heart-Nature, and felt a flood of mixed emotions.

He was silent for a moment. The hand that had just been raised in anger now trembled slightly a few times, finally descending with a trace of imperceptible gentleness onto Xie Qingyu's head, giving him a rub.

"It's good that you are alright..." Xie Nian's voice lowered, carrying a hoarseness of relief. "That person... ultimately held back."

His gaze fell upon the barely visible shallow mark on Xie Qingyu's waist, his expression complicated.

Silence permeated the room for a moment. Xie Nian spoke again, his tone completely changed: "Qingyu, well done."

"I know about the rumors, but starting today, no one will call you a coward."

This sudden praise caused Xie Qingyu's body to stiffen slightly in his mother's arms.

Xie Nian paused, his tone becoming serious again: "But don't ever do this again."

"Not everyone is as merciful and powerful as he is."

After giving a few more instructions, Xie Nian stepped out of the bedroom.

He gently closed the door, shutting off the sounds of sobbing and comfort inside.

He let out a long breath, as if trying to expel all the pent-up frustration in his chest, but he froze slightly the moment he raised his eyes.

Xie Qingshang was standing not far away under the corridor, leaning against a vermilion pillar, her figure appearing somewhat fragile in the twilight.

The two stood silently a short distance apart, falling into silence for a moment.

The evening breeze swept through the courtyard, leaving only the rustling of bamboo leaves.

Finally, it was Xie Qingshang who broke the silence.

Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of inquiry that she herself hadn't noticed.

"Is he really... that strong?"

Although she already knew the answer in her heart, having witnessed that near-miraculous scene firsthand, she still asked, as if needing final confirmation from another witness.

Xie Nian nodded solemnly, speaking with absolute certainty: "Of course he is!"

There was another moment of silence. Xie Nian unconsciously clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white.

"I have never met anyone that strong in my life." His gaze was slightly unfocused, as if he were back on that despair-inducing arena. "Just standing across from him, I felt a kind of... despair stemming from the very level of life itself."

He took a deep breath, as if the fear from that day still lingered.

"What's more terrifying is that you could clearly feel he still held back. Like a deep sea, just the tip of the iceberg was enough to shatter me."

"To be honest, the moment I stepped onto the stage, my legs turned soft. All I wanted was to jump off and run away immediately. That feeling of fear spread through my heart, suppressing nearly half of my strength."

"But defeat is defeat. Any reason is just an excuse."

"Therefore," Xie Nian's voice deepened, carrying an unspeakable shame, "when I heard that Qingyu, that kid, actually dared to challenge that person, I was first shocked, and then... ashamed."

He looked up, meeting Xie Qingshang's gaze, the emotions in his eyes complex and hard to discern: "I was scared."

Facing a powerful enemy, anyone would feel fear.

Fear is instinct; courage is a hymn.

He, who faced his fear, was defeated, but he did not flee.

Xie Qingshang did not respond, only listening quietly. Her silence was itself a form of understanding.

Suddenly, Xie Nian chuckled softly. The laughter started with bitterness but gradually became tinged with an indescribable excitement.

"Although I was scared, unexpectedly..." He paused, a spark of fighting spirit igniting in his eyes. "I want to fight him again."

After speaking, Xie Nian looked at Xie Qingshang again, his gaze intense: "What about you? Do you feel the same way?"

Although Xie Qingshang had not directly clashed with Qin Wangchuan, when she recalled the unique, brilliant golden eyes from the Secret Realm that seemed to illuminate everything.

An instinctive reverence made her nod subconsciously.

"Yes."

Then, she silently murmured in her heart, the thought clear and firm: 'I want to meet him again.'

As this thought arose, a name casually mentioned by Chu Wujiu, Zhao Lingyun, and the others when they parted flashed through her mind like lightning.

That's right!

"The recruitment for Myriad Dao Academy!"

"As the top Dao Legacy in Heaven Above Heavens, Myriad Dao Academy recruits talented individuals not only from Heaven Above Heavens but also from the entire Three Thousand Continents."

However, the spots are scarce, truly one in ten thousand.

Those who can step through its gates are all Prodigies of astonishing talent and profound Luck.

"Myriad Dao Academy?" Hearing this, Xie Nian's expression immediately turned serious. He muttered repeatedly, "That's right, Myriad Dao Academy..."

There, he could find him and fight him again!

In the past, he wouldn't have even considered a lofty Legacy like Myriad Dao Academy.

After all, the threshold is simply too high. Even if one managed to enter by chance, the Dao taught there is not ordinary Dao methods; it is a Dao institution opened exclusively for Prodigies.

"But now it's different." Xie Nian's eyes sharpened. His goal had never been so clear. "With a target that I must defeat, this journey —I must go!"

Xie Qingshang listened, nodding slightly in agreement.

Immediately after, she thought of something else, leaning her back fully against the cool wall, looking up at the darkening sky, a helpless, bitter smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

"We think this way, but others... might not be thinking any differently."

Once upon a time, she, Xie Qingshang, was also a highly sought-after, rarely seen daughter of heaven.

But now, she also needed to compete with countless Prodigies for that slim chance, just to... see him again.

This session of Myriad Dao Academy recruitment will likely be unprecedentedly difficult.

But —

Xie Qingshang's gaze refocused, that bitter smile instantly transforming into determination.

Fearless!