At that point, one's cultivation speed would be far slower than in the outside world. With no path forward, how could one face the endless, lonely years? The very thought was enough to make one shudder and break out in a cold sweat.

...

"The hour has arrived! Enter the Holy Academy!"

At the bow of the ship, the elder surnamed Hao announced loudly.

Subsequently, the entire Other Shore Ark jolted violently. An immensely dense immortal light shot from the top of the ark toward the heavens. On the ark's hull, tens of thousands of formation runes lit up in unison, creating an incredibly spectacular sight. Amidst it all, the numerous prodigies felt themselves transform into light!

At the same time, they sensed the space around them shatter into fragments before the world began to spin. All the light was then completely swallowed and devoured by darkness.

On the deck, several Emergence Stage Great Abilities gazed at the suddenly empty ark. They narrowed their eyes at the phantom of the Ancient Sanctuary world above, and one of them mused aloud, "Who knows... which unlucky little ones won't make it out this time!"

"Who can say for sure about something like that?"

"Compared to that, I'm more curious about what new tricks the seniors have prepared for these little rascals this year!" Shen Buxing said, stroking his chin with an amused expression.

Upon hearing this, the others couldn't help but make strange faces and shake their heads.

"Who knows?"

"No matter how many tricks they pull, the fundamental purpose is to temper them. It's all for their own good!"

"Hah, well said! If I recall correctly, during our year in the Ancient Sanctuary, you were one of the ones who cried his eyes out from the seniors' pranks, weren't you?"

"Nonsense! Utter slander! I did not!"

"Those seniors have been inside for far too long. All these years of loneliness... it must be hard on them. They only get a few days when some youngsters go in to play with them. Let them mess around as much as they want, as long as no one gets killed!"

The elder surnamed Hao sighed as he looked at the continuously spinning phantom of the world.

Hearing this, the others all fell silent.

...

If one had to use a single word to describe the scene before Wang Xiu and the others, it would probably be... fairyland.

They found themselves on a cliff's edge. Before them was a sparse yet lush mountain forest. Although the trees were few, every single one was an Azure Sky Giant Wood, towering a hundred zhang tall.

Figures darted about among the treetops. They were birds, of a common species seen everywhere in the outside world. They were not of the Devil Race, yet they clearly exuded the aura of the Core Formation Stage! A single flap of their wings could stir up powerful gusts of wind.

"What the hell!"

"Those are just ordinary birds, purely mundane beasts that don't even know how to cultivate, yet they have the cultivation level of the Core Formation Stage!"

"The spiritual energy here is incredibly dense, more than ten times stronger than the outside world!"

"No wonder even these common trees have grown so tall!"

"A treasure land! This is a true treasure land!"

Everyone's eyes were shining. Their elders hadn't lied. The world of the Ancient Sanctuary was truly extraordinary. Ordinary trees could grow to a hundred zhang, and common wild beasts were comparable to Core Formation Stage cultivators.

"Look behind you!" someone suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone quickly turned around.

Behind them was a boundless sea of clouds. Above them was a vast, immaculate sky, as pristine as glazed glass polished countless times. The sea of clouds churned, suffused with an immortal light that illuminated everything. As everyone gazed out, they could faintly discern a True Dragon frolicking within it. Divine light coiled around its body, and its roar thundered. The aura it emitted was so powerful it was terrifying; it felt as though a single snort could suppress and flatten them all.

"My God!"

"That's a True Dragon! A Pureblood True Dragon!"

"It would be more appropriate to call it a Saint Dragon. That's a genuine Saint Manifestation Stage expert of the Dragon Clan!"

"Pureblood True Dragons vanished from the Cangyuan Realm many years ago, existing only in legend. I never thought... that they would actually exist in the Ancient Sanctuary!"

The prodigies were utterly shocked, exclaiming one after another.

Before their cries could fade, another fiery red figure streaked across the sky. Everywhere it passed, flames surged to the heavens, dyeing the sea of clouds for thousands of li around a brilliant crimson. The entire world seemed to be ablaze.

"Look, what's that?"

"A Divine Phoenix! It's the legendary Divine Phoenix that can be reborn from flames and commands all the Divine Fire in the world!"

"To think that in our lifetimes, we would be able to witness these Divine Beasts that exist only in ancient legends with our own eyes!"

"So this is the Ancient Sanctuary?"

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the Ancient Sanctuary was simply too dense. The creatures here seemed to be soaking in a vat filled with it. Ordinary lifeforms could receive all sorts of Creations and become mystical, and even Divine Beasts that existed only in ancient legends could be seen in the flesh. This instantly made the prodigies cry out in shock again and again, like country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

But thinking about it from another perspective... if ordinary creatures could undergo such transformations just from staying in this world for a few years, then wouldn't they, the recognized prodigies of Nanzhou, be like fish in water? Wouldn't they be completely reborn?

At this thought, an expression of indescribable excitement appeared on everyone's face.

"No wonder… every time the Holy Academy opens, there are people who fail to leave in time!" Zhang Yuge remarked with a sigh, sensing how different this world was from the outside. "If it were me, I wouldn't bear to leave either! Brother, why don't... we stay here too? Wouldn't it be wonderful to devote ourselves to studying the Thunder Path in this world?"

Wang Xiu smiled, but before he could speak, a few disciples from the Longhu Immortal Sect jumped in fright and hastily tried to persuade him, "Eldest Senior Brother, please don't have such thoughts! If you stay here, the Heavenly Master will kill us!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"..."

The expressions on the faces of Ji Zidian, Jiang Ling'er, and the others also changed. They quickly stepped forward to block Wang Xiu's path and said to Zhang Yuge, "If you want to stay, stay by yourself! Don't drag our senior brother down with you!"

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