This world was simply unfair.
Liu Bai silently watched the battle between the two on the stage above, then waited for his own turn.
"Third match of the selection battle, participants enter the stage!"
At the order, Liu Bai walked slowly toward the center platform.
His opponent, Zhang Jie, also ascended the stage with a grave expression.
"Father, Second Brother, look, look! It's Big Brother's turn!" Liu Yang called out excitedly to his father and second brother beside him.
At this moment, Liu Mubai also had his gaze locked on the platform. He too was eager to know what level his elder brother had reached now.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Jie forcibly steadied his nerves. Looking at the calm Liu Bai across from him, he said in a low voice, "Liu Bai, this time, I'll let everyone see your true colors!"
As his voice fell, surging spiritual energy suddenly erupted from his body. The sheer intensity of it made quite a few students of Northern Spiritual Academy secretly click their tongues. This guy was indeed very strong.
Liu Bai's expression remained unchanged as he looked at the charging figure. During his charge, faint yellow spiritual light rose on both of Zhang Jie's palms. A heavy aura emanated from him, and it seemed as though there was a weight of a thousand catties between his palms.
"An earth-attribute spiritual art, huh..."
Just from the spiritual energy fluctuations, Liu Bai could tell that Zhang Jie cultivated arts that emphasized heaviness and solidity. Such arts generally had excellent offensive and defensive properties, and judging from the energy waves, they were likely of the Spirit-rank.
Liu Bai's gaze remained calm as he looked at the rapidly approaching Zhang Jie...
He slightly leaned forward, and at that moment, many nearby spectators seemed to hear a deep, muffled explosion from beneath his feet.
In the next instant, his figure transformed into a streak of red light, dashing out like lightning.
Liu Bai's speed was astonishing. Zhang Jie only saw a flash of red in front of his eyes before, to his shock, a figure had already appeared before him...
Then, a long and slender palm gently pressed forward. It happened so fast that Zhang Jie didn't even have time to react. In the blink of an eye, he saw a palm land squarely on his chest.
Immediately after, a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted like a volcano.
Boom!
A deep rumble shook the air. Zhang Jie, who had just been in a charging stance, was instantly blown away. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips as he tumbled backward across the ground, leaving behind a long trail of dust.
One strike!
Even though Zhang Jie had already stepped into the Spiritual Wheel Realm, he lost all ability to fight with a single blow...
"Hm?" A soft sound of surprise came from Mister Lin, the recruitment officer from the Five Great Academies.
"What's this student's name?"
Principal Xiao was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, but then delight surged in his heart. He quickly said, "Mister Lin, this student's name is Liu Bai. He is the son of the Domain Lord of the Liu Domain in the Northern Spiritual Realm. He broke through to the Spiritual Movement Realm half a year ago and is the number one prodigy of our Northern Spiritual Academy!"
"Oh? He reached mid-stage Spiritual Wheel Realm in just half a year after entering the Spiritual Movement Realm?" Mister Lin nodded, but didn't show much expression.
To be honest, this kind of cultivation speed was fairly decent even within the Five Great Academies, though only just. Because before reaching the Three Heavens Realm, as long as one had enough resources, slow cultivation speed was basically not a concern.
It was only in regions like the Northern Spiritt Region that those at the Divine Soul Realm could become dominant figures.
Meanwhile, the area below the platform had already erupted in commotion.
"The spiritual energy Zhang Jie just unleashed was terrifying. I thought he had it in the bag, but I didn't expect him to be defeated in one move... Liu Bai's strength is insane!" a student from the East Branch exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah, yeah! Zhang Jie's strength easily ranks among the top three in our East Branch. Even Xu Ling wouldn't be able to defeat him so quickly. Doesn't this mean Liu Bai is truly the number one in Northern Spiritual Academy?" someone voiced the thought that had emerged in their heart.
And many others clearly agreed with this. This scene sparked a wave of heat in the chest of Xu Ling, who was still waiting for his turn.
"Hmph, a bunch of ignorant fools. Next, I'll show you what true strength looks like!" Xu Ling thought darkly to himself.
However, he also felt a tinge of regret. His opponent this time wasn't Liu Bai.
"Big Brother won!" Seeing Liu Bai defeat his opponent with a single blow, the young Liu Yang jumped up with joy.
Liu Mubai also exhaled deeply, then revealed a faint smile.
Compared to Liu Yang, he was obviously more composed. Perhaps it was because he was subconsciously learning from his big brother always "unmoved in expression," which made him look rather impressive.
Unbeknownst to him, this was simply because Liu Bai couldn't be bothered to act childish like the rest of them...
At that moment, a few other Domain Lords beside them also offered congratulations to Liu Qingtian. After all, Liu Bai had clearly already qualified for entry into the Five Great Academies. This meant that the Liu Domain once again had the chance to produce a powerhouse capable of suppressing the entire Northern Spiritual Realm. As a result, those who had previously harbored ambitious thoughts were now forced to restrain themselves once more.
Liu Qingtian, of course, saw this clearly, but that didn't stop him from playing along politely with those people.
In fact, after Liu Bai's earlier conversation, Liu Qingtian had begun to reconsider. Perhaps being a local tyrant in the Northern Spiritual Realm wasn't such a glorious goal after all...
Of course, the Liu Domain's future path would ultimately depend on how far both his father Liu Jingshan and his son Liu Bai could go.
The battle continued.
Following Liu Bai's match, the next to appear was Xu Ling, long known as the number one of Northern Spiritual Academy. His opponent, surprisingly, was the only girl in the selection—Zuo Yue!
This clearly displeased Xu Ling. He had actually drawn the "weakest" opponent...
"You should surrender. I don't like fighting women," Xu Ling said, frowning.
"Please give me your guidance."
Unfortunately, Zuo Yue, the cold-faced girl, acted as if she hadn't heard him. She directly responded, her voice completely devoid of emotion.
This scene caused Xu Ling's face to darken. A majestic surge of spiritual energy had already begun rising from him, pressing down on the surroundings and making many people nearby feel suffocated.
As the direct target of this pressure, Zuo Yue could clearly feel her body becoming heavier.
"Mid-stage Spiritual Wheel Realm..." Zuo Yue couldn't help but grit her teeth.
"Hmph, with your strength, you're not even worth my time. Surrender!" Xu Ling said again.
Liu Bai had defeated his opponent in one move, so Xu Ling planned to achieve victory without even fighting. One way or another, he had to outshine that guy!
Zuo Yue's expression hesitated for a moment, but then she grew firm. With a wave of her hand, several spiritual seals appeared before her...
"Hm?"
At that moment, many around the arena let out exclamations of surprise.
"She's... a Spiritual Array Master?" Liu Bai raised his brows slightly. He hadn't expected that this girl would actually be a Spiritual Array Master.
"I just wonder if she has advanced to Rank One Spiritual Array Master. If she really has, then Xu Ling might actually be in danger."
At the same time, even Mr. Lin, the recruitment officer from the Five Great Academies, finally revealed a trace of interest as his gaze fell upon Zuo Yue.
After all, the profession of Spiritual Array Master was highly valued even in the Five Great Academies. If he could recruit a student with the talent for Spiritual Arrays, the benefits to him would be significant.
Unfortunately, compared to someone like Liu Bai who was practically a cheat-like existence, Zuo Yue's speed in constructing the array was clearly slower. Noticing the beads of sweat already forming on her delicate forehead, Liu Bai couldn't help but shake his head.
At this pace, if Xu Ling chose to attack, the array would likely be disrupted before it was even completed.
However, Xu Ling was bold enough to simply stand there watching, as if he had no interest in interrupting her at all.
After about ten breaths, ten spiritual seals had already appeared between Zuo Yue's fingers. With a swift motion, she waved her hand, and the air before her trembled, forming an ice-blue spirit array that exuded a chilling aura.
"Icebreak Spirit Array!"
As the girl shouted crisply, a wave of cold air swept from the array. Several icy arrows shot out, flying directly toward Xu Ling.
At this moment, Xu Ling finally made a move.
He formed a hand seal, and suddenly, a surge of green spiritual energy gushed out, forming a circular light shield in front of him.
"Wind Spirit Sword Art!"
In an instant, a massive spiritual sword slowly emerged from the light shield. The ice arrows shattered on contact with the blade, leaving behind only faint traces of frost.
The enormous sword rose into the air and, in the next instant, slashed down toward the ice-blue spirit array.
As expected, the array exploded with a loud bang, and Zuo Yue, as the one who had cast it, was also caught in the blast. A mouthful of blood spurted from her lips.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the crowd below erupted into an uproar.
"That's way too powerful!" someone couldn't help but shout.
Clearly, although both Xu Ling and Liu Bai had defeated their opponents with a single move, Xu Ling's performance was far more dramatic and visually impactful, making it seem even more overwhelming than Liu Bai's display.
Moreover, Xu Ling had obviously waited until Zuo Yue completed her array before making his move. He then shattered it in one overwhelming attack, purely to demonstrate his superior strength.
Naturally, this left all the students of Northern Spiritual Academy in awe. However, people like the nine Domain Lords and Principal Xiao wouldn't share the same thoughts as a bunch of students.
As for Liu Bai, he found this approach completely meaningless.
When facing a Spiritual Array Master, Liu Bai believed the best tactic was to strike before the array was completed, forcing the enemy into close combat. That was the most effective method.
"The outcome has been decided."
Principal Xiao once again stepped onto the platform, announcing Xu Ling's victory.
Liu Bai then noticed that before stepping down from the platform, Xu Ling deliberately cast him a provocative look...
Liu Bai was instantly speechless.
Such childish behavior might only work on little ones like Liu Mubai and Liu Yang.
Well, that was indeed the case. Liu Bai could already see his little buddy Liu Yang by his father's side jumping up and down in fury...
Very soon, the selection battle came to an end.
There hadn't been any true clashes between strong contenders. At most, it was just weaklings brawling with one another.
Even so, the students of Northern Spiritual Academy were still captivated, and the nine Domain Lords had witnessed the true strength of several talented youths from the Northern Spiritual Realm.
Although only five of them would ultimately be admitted into the Five Great Academies, the remaining five might still carve out a name for themselves within the Northern Spiritual Realm in the future.
Especially Zuo Yue, who had successfully constructed a Rank One Spiritual Array. To become a Rank One Spiritual Array Master at such a young age was truly unprecedented throughout the entire Northern Spiritual Realm.
After a brief rest, Mr. Lin, the recruitment officer for the Five Great Academies, stepped onto the platform.
His gaze swept across the ten participants in the selection battle.
Among the ten, the winners were visibly excited, while the losers hung their heads low in dejection.
"Very well. The selection battle has now reached its final outcome."
As those words were spoken, the entire square fell silent, awaiting the official announcement.
Mr. Lin's gaze first landed on the only girl among the ten, Zuo Yue. He then smiled and said, "To become Rank One Spiritual Array Master at such a young age, in light of your talent in spiritual arrays, I can give you a chance..."
Hearing this, the dejected girl instantly brightened and lifted her head.
"However... I do have one condition."
Zuo Yue was momentarily stunned and blurted out, "What condition?"
"Heh, don't worry. It's quite simple. You may only choose to join the 'Myriad Phoenix Spiritual Academy,'" Mr. Lin replied.
The Myriad Phoenix Spiritual Academy was the only one among the Five Great Academies that accepted only female students.
It was precisely for this reason that, during each Five Academy recruitment, the number of students admitted to the Myriad Phoenix Spirit Academy was always the smallest.
This was easy to understand. Just look at the current Northern Spiritual Academy.
Among the ten students eligible to participate in the selection battle, Zuo Yue was the only girl.
This wasn't a rare exception. It was a very common phenomenon.
Since the number of female candidates in recruitment was already low, and some of them would choose from the other four Spiritual Academies, even fewer would end up choosing the Myriad Phoenix Spiritual Academy.
As a recruiter for the Five Great Academies, if they couldn't secure enough students for the Myriad Phoenix Spiritual Academy, they would have trouble explaining themselves.
Because of this, recruitment officers like Mr. Lin would often offer extra opportunities to girls with apparent talent. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Faced with such an opportunity, Zuo Yue naturally wouldn't pass it up. Her face lit up with joy as she nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Seeing this, Mr. Lin smiled slightly. With that, he had completed his task.
He then turned his gaze to Liu Bai and the other four winners, asking, "Now then, what are your choices?"
"I choose the Saint Spiritual Academy!" said Xu Ling, clearly having prepared in advance.
"I choose the Martial Spiritual Academy."
"I choose the Azure Heavens Spiritual Academy."
"..."
Finally, Liu Bai did not hesitate and said directly, "I choose the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy."
As a transmigrator, what was the greatest advantage aside from having a cheat?
Everyone could answer that question it was the power of foresight!
Having read the original work, Liu Bai naturally knew where the benefits lay. This kind of advantage should never be abandoned unless absolutely necessary.
.....
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