The Azure Sky Academy was not a single, unified institution.
It existed in two branches.
One branch stood in the Qing Yuan Continent, known as the Outer Branch Academy, responsible for nurturing ordinary talents and filtering promising disciples.
The other, its true core was located in the Zhen Wu Continent, within the borders of the Fenglei Country. This was the Main Branch Academy, where geniuses gathered and where real power was forged.
Fenglei Country itself was divided by a vast and ancient river.
The Lei Yun Jiang River.
Its waters surged endlessly, infused with thunder and cloud qi, cutting the country into two distinct territories.
On one side lay the Thunder Territory, open, fierce, and dominated by overt power.
On the other lay the Cloud Territory.
Unlike its counterpart, the Cloud Territory was a land of concealment. Here, strength was rarely displayed openly. Forces hid behind layers of secrecy, formations, and false fronts. Silence itself was a weapon.
Within the Cloud Territory existed four major powers:
The Shadow Clan,
The Spirit Clan,
The Azure Sky Academy,
And the long-silent Sky Mist Pavilion.
Among them, the most feared was not the academy nor the Spirit Clan.
It was the Shadow Clan.
Though divided into higher and lower families, their influence seeped quietly through the territory. Their methods were ruthless, their hatred deeply rooted.
At this moment,
Inside the lower family of the Shadow Clan, the main hall stood solemn and cold.
The hall's design was simple stone pillars, dark banners, and restrained carvings yet the air itself felt heavy, as if resentment had settled into the walls over generations.
At the highest seat sat Chen Ying, Patriarch of the Shadow Clan's lower family.
He was a man in his prime, with medium-long black hair tied behind his back and a short dark beard lining his jaw. His eyes were steady and calculating. As a Wang Zhe Realm, Eighth Star cultivator, his presence alone pressed down on the hall.
On one side sat the elders. At their head was Ying Hao, the First Elder.
Old and bald, with a long white beard and deeply lined features, his body carried the marks of time, but his aura was sharp. His cultivation had reached Zong Shi Peak, Ninth Star.
He coughed slowly, his voice rough and aged. Patriarch, he said, how much longer must we wait?
Chen Ying's fingers tapped lightly against the armrest. Do not rush, he replied calmly. I recently checked my son's progress in secret.
His gaze sharpened. Chen Yao Ying has reached a level where he can fulfill our intentions.
The elders listened closely.
Moreover, Chen Ying continued, there is another young cultivator within the academy. Talented. Polished, but dangerous. He will be… useful.
Ying Hao's eyes narrowed slightly.
Be cautious, the First Elder warned. If the three ancestors of Azure Sky Academy sense our movements, this lower family will face destruction.
His voice lowered further. And also if their Dean Jing xu returns… . The hall fell silent.
Chen Ying's expression darkened, but his tone remained firm. Then we move as shadows, he said. Slow. Precise. Unseen.
The discussion ended there. But beneath the quiet hall, schemes continued to take shape, waiting for the right moment to emerge.
Back on Mike and jian wu, After travelling another full day and night, the flying boat finally slowed.
The roaring wind faded into a low whisper as the clouds thinned. Mike stood up from the bow, his gaze fixed ahead, steady and calm.
We're here, he said quietly.
Jian Wu rose beside him and followed his line of sight.
Before them stretched nothing extraordinaryonly a stretch of ordinary mountains, rugged and silent, their rocky slopes weathered by time. No radiant light. No spiritual pressure. No signs of a sacred land.
She frowned slightly. This is it? she asked.
Mike smiled faintly, the kind of smile that carried secrets.
The flying boat descended and touched the ground without a sound. Mike waved his hand, storing it away, then gestured for Jian Wu to follow.
He led her toward a narrow gap between two rock walls, so thin it could easily be mistaken for a natural crack. Shadows clung tightly to the passage, concealing its depth.
The moment they are reaching closer.
A sharp, biting cold swept over them.
Jian Wu inhaled sharply. The temperature dropped in an instant, cold enough to sting her skin and slow her breath. The air itself felt heavier, laced with something ancient and unfriendly.
She shivered despite herself. This cold… she murmured.
The path sloped downward, winding deeper into the mountain. With every step, the chill intensified, seeping through clothes and into bone, as though testing their resolve.
And then, Mike stepped forward first, his boots crunching softly against ground.
Look, he said quietly, his voice carrying a hint of relief. We're finally inside.
Jian Wu followed and the moment her eyes fell upon the scene before her, she froze.
Three towering mountains stood like ancient sentinels, arranged in a perfect circle, their slopes bending inward as if embracing what lay at their heart. Between them stretched a vast basin, and at its center rested a lake, deep, unfathomably deep, its surface smooth as polished crystal, glowing with a soft bluish-white radiance.
Cold mist drifted upward from the water, carrying a chill so pure it pierced straight through the skin and into the bones.
This… Jian Wu whispered, her breath catching. I've never seen anything like this. She took a few slow steps forward, her eyes wide, reflecting the lake's light. I never imagined the Academy hid a place like this.
The land surrounding the lake was a contradiction made real. Extreme cold ruled the air, yet delicate grass shimmered beneath frost, and strange flowers bloomed in hues of pale blue and silver. Whitish-blue butterflies fluttered lazily above the ground, their wings leaving faint trails of light as they danced through the mist. Scattered among the ordinary flora were spiritual plants, quiet, powerful, their presence heavy with unseen energy.
From the lake itself, a terrifying cold aura surged outward in slow, rhythmic waves, like the breathing of an ancient beast.
Beautiful and unmistakably dangerous.
This is the Heart-Chilling Lake, Mike said at last. And this place… is the Heart-Chilling Cave.
Jian Wu didn't respond. She was already moving, circling the lake with light steps, her expression softening as if some invisible restraint had been lifted from her shoulders. For the first time in a long while, she looked free.
Mike watched her for a momentthen exhaled and let himself fall backward onto the cold ground. He lay there, arms spread, staring up at the night sky framed by the three mountains. Stars shimmered above him, distant and endless. Cold air brushed his face, sharp yet refreshing, while glowing butterflies drifted past his vision like fragments of a dream.
His lips moved.
Beauty is cultivation, he murmured, his voice barely louder than the wind.
The journey is cultivation.
Feeling is cultivation.
His eyes reflected the stars.
Dangerous or generous… it doesn't matter. As long as it's extraordinary.
The words were meant for the sky alone.
Jian Wu didn't hear them.
Brother Mike! her voice rang out suddenly, bright with excitement. Come look at this!
Mike turned his head and in that instant, his expression changed. He sprang to his feet. His gaze locked onto what Jian Wu was reaching towards and the tension drained from his face. Do not touch it! Jian Wu! He shouted.