In the grand hall, countless runes of light flashed, blocking the terrifying divine flames and preventing any damage.

Another Saint Manifestation expert suddenly spoke. "But this way, we lose the original purpose of training the disciples. Perhaps... we could signal the disciples who have already gone out to join forces and together resist the members of the Sanqing Immortal Sect!"

When he said this, the hall fell silent. Even the Saint from the Shenyan Cave Heaven said no more, the saintly light around him fluctuating as his face flushed.

Those who could venture out at this time on their own strength were all the top prodigies from the Great Immortal Gates. If they joined forces, dealing with the Sanqing Immortal Sect would be a simple matter. But the problem was... such an action would be utterly shameless. It was tantamount to all the other Immortal Sects ganging up on Sanqing. How could that possibly be considered training? Not even the Mount Shu Immortal Sect could withstand the combined might of all the other Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands! If that old madman from Sanqing found out, he would probably turn the Holy Academy upside down. But if they didn't do this, their disciples might gain nothing in this Ancient Forest.

Most of the Saints remained silent. A few who were already tempted secretly contacted their disciples.

Soon, one of them returned with a strange expression, his emotions fluctuating wildly as if he had received some sort of shock. The others looked at him and asked urgently, "What happened?"

The Saint replied irritably, "That worthless fellow! I told him to join forces with disciples from other Immortal Sects, but he refused! He said the people from the Sanqing Immortal Sect are good people, that they've been kind to them and shouldn't be treated this way! It's infuriating!"

The other Saints were taken aback. "What did they do?"

"The Sanqing disciples snatched their Fierce Beasts and took their spiritual and Precious Medicines... then they invited them to eat the meat and even shared a portion of the medicines with them!"

The hall erupted into an uproar. Another Saint stepped forward, his face full of embarrassment. "My own good-for-nothing juniors said the exact same thing!"

Upon hearing this, several other Saints sighed, admitting it was the same for their disciples. Instantly, all the Saints wore looks of surprise.

"There must be an expert strategist in the Sanqing Immortal Sect!" To give up a portion of their gains, only to earn immense goodwill and avoid being targeted by others... even those they had robbed were singing their praises! The way they handled this... it's simply incredible!

「...」

"How ridiculous! These disciples from the Immortal Sects are becoming more and more disappointing!" Saint Yun Wuxin of Longhu thought, sneering inwardly as he listened to the other Saints' discussion. For such a trivial gain, they've completely lost their principles. How could people like this be chosen for the Holy Academy? It's ludicrous! What has the outside world degenerated into over the years?

Though he showed no change on the surface, he sent out a sliver of his consciousness, using a secret art to contact Han Xiao, who was in charge of training Longhu's new disciples. He had already made up his mind. No matter what, he couldn't allow the Sanqing disciples to continue acting so arrogantly.

"How are my Longhu disciples doing now?"

"They've already left the garrison, tens of thousands of miles away. Is something wrong?" Han Xiao asked, puzzled.

Yun Wuxin said, "I wish to speak with the Saint Heir!"

Han Xiao frowned. "I suppose that's possible, but... wouldn't that be breaking the rules?"

"I have my reasons!" Yun Wuxin stated firmly.

Han Xiao relented. "The Saint Heir and I share a Messaging Mark. I'll contact him, and you can speak to him directly."

Soon, a cascade of runic light flickered, and the image of Zhang Yuge materialized before Yun Wuxin. He was in the prime of his youth, with a face like jade and a graceful, elegant demeanor. He was the very picture of a peerless prodigy.

Truly a worthy Saint Heir! A satisfied smile appeared on Yun Wuxin's face.

"Greetings, Elder Ancestor!" Zhang Yuge was puzzled. Why would Yun Wuxin contact him so suddenly?

Yun Wuxin asked, "Do you have any understanding of the current situation in the Ancient Forest?"

Zhang Yuge paused, looking baffled. "What situation?"

The Ancient Forest was so vast that a journey of ten thousand miles was like crossing a mere inch. It was normal to walk for days without seeing another soul, and news traveled very slowly.

Yun Wuxin got straight to the point, intending to have Zhang Yuge join forces with the other prodigies to ambush the Sanqing disciples. "Do you know of a person named Wang Xiu?"

However, as soon as he spoke the first sentence, Zhang Yuge froze. Then, his eyes lit up with delight. "Of course I know him! That's my sworn brother! My big brother! Elder Ancestor, do you know where my big brother is? Please, tell me!"

??? Yun Wuxin was speechless.

「...」

In a wide clearing in the forest, runes filled the sky and endless radiance surged. Streams of profound light circulated, filling the void as the rumbling sound of the Dao echoed like rolling thunder. Li Zuoyue sat cross-legged on the ground. The Sword Intent within him soared to the heavens, and his closed eyes shone with divine light. His entire body became as translucent as crystal, as if he himself had transformed into a sword. A sharp, sword-like radiance flowed over his entire being, and an unimaginable Sword Qi tore through the space around him.

SHIIING—

With a crisp metallic ring, the Heavenly Timing Sword Box flew open. Twenty-three swords shot out, encircling him in a cosmic orbit and coalescing into a storm of Sword Qi that swept across the area.

After a long moment, the Sword Qi subsided. Li Zuoyue opened his eyes, feeling the abundant Sword Essence within him. He clenched his fists, ecstatic. When he first entered the Holy Academy, he could only manifest the twenty-first sword. But in the days since, with extensive training and the consumption of essence from terrifying Fierce Beasts and various heavenly materials and Precious Medicines, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. He could now unleash twenty-three swords at once. He was only a single step away from mastering the Heavenly Timing Sword Scripture—the Realm of unleashing twenty-four swords simultaneously. The improvement was tremendous!

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Li. Your Sword Dao has reached a new level!" Wang Xiu said with a gentle smile, his voice as warm as the spring sun.

Li Zuoyue waved his hand dismissively, though he said with pride, "It's just a minor improvement, nothing to speak of. With my current strength, I can probably secure a stable spot in the top ten of the Golden Core Ranking. If I really pushed myself, I might just squeeze into the top three. It's still not enough!"

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