Regarding Ming Shi's question, Liu Bai naturally admitted it directly.
However, as for the elder's invitation, he did not agree.
"Elder Ming Shi should already know that I will soon be heading to participate in the Divine Spiritual Mountain trial, so before that, I do not wish to be distracted by other matters."
Ming Shi nodded in understanding. After all, he knew very well how dangerous the Divine Spiritual Mountain was. Liu Bai's participation in this event held great significance for the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy, so he immediately expressed his stance.
"It was inconsiderate of me. The Divine Spiritual Mountain is filled with perils, and you must indeed approach it with utmost caution. Coincidentally, I have here a bottle of Grade Five Origin Spirit Pills. A single pill can completely restore the spiritual energy of a Heaven Completion Realm cultivator at the Early-phase. Please, keep it with you for protection."
Liu Bai was slightly moved upon hearing this. He had not expected Elder Ming Shi to be so generous.
This was a Grade Five Pill. Although it was merely a basic type of restorative Spiritual Pill, its grade alone made it worth at least a million Spiritual Values.
There were at least three pills in that bottle.
That was indeed a grand gesture.
Liu Bai could not help but sigh inwardly at how wealthy Alchemists were, then accepted the elder's good will.
Very soon, the time came for Liu Bai to depart from the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy to attend the grandest gathering of the younger generation across the Northern Heaven Continent.
On that day, the academy was as peaceful as usual. Yet within the Willow God Association, Su Xuan and the others had once again gathered together.
"You all don't need to worry. I have great confidence in my strength. Moreover, I have already advanced to the mid-phase of the Heaven Completion Realm. The Divine Spiritual Mountain this time will be nothing to worry about."
Liu Bai smiled as he spoke to the group.
"Hehe, of course I believe in Boss's strength. We just came to wish you a triumphant return!" Guo Xiong laughed heartily, his rough face showing a trace of honest admiration.
After receiving their blessings, Liu Bai did not linger. He went straight to the grand hall located at the center of the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy. At this moment, the Academy Dean was already waiting for him.
What surprised Liu Bai was that beside the Dean stood two figures. They were Elder Zhu Tian, one of the Five Grand Heaven Seat Elders, and Mo You, the Head of the Punishment Hall.
When Liu Bai arrived, the Dean smiled. "Not bad, you have reached the mid-phase of the Heaven Completion Realm. That puts my heart at ease."
"Due to some issues with the Spiritual Road, the Deans of the Five Great Academies must personally head over. Therefore, I cannot escort you this time. Elder Zhu Tian and Hall Master Mo You will lead the team instead. I trust they can ensure your safety."
Liu Bai's eyes flickered slightly. At this point in time, could it be the incident where Mu Chen was expelled from the Spiritual Road?
With that thought, he nodded slightly and said, "Dean, please rest assured. I will not let the academy down this time."
The Dean looked deeply at him and finally said, "Take care of yourself above all else."
Liu Bai sighed inwardly and nodded.
Tai Cang was an excellent leader but not a domineering ruler. Still, that was a blessing for the students of the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy.
This time, the Divine Spiritual Mountain event would be broadcast live back to the academy through special projection arrays, so everyone would be able to witness Liu Bai's performance. It was as if the entire academy was cheering for him.
Of course, that also brought some pressure. At the very least, Liu Bai knew he would have to give his all. If he embarrassed himself, it would tarnish the image he had worked so hard to build within the academy.
"Well then, I've said all that needs to be said. You should be on your way."
After the Dean spoke, he waved his sleeve. Instantly, boundless spiritual power surged forth, twisting the space ahead until a massive spatial tunnel formed.
Elder Zhu Tian stepped forward first, entering the spatial vortex.
Following behind him was Liu Bai, and then Mo You with the Punishment Hall's group.
The twisting space devoured all their figures, and as the spatial ripples faded, the heavens once again fell silent. The figures that had once stood before the hall were gone.
The Divine Spiritual Mountain was located near the central region of the Northern Heaven Continent, within an area known as the Divine Spiritual City, a land famous throughout the continent.
It was said that the Divine Spiritual Mountain had existed since ancient times. Originally, it was an ordinary mountain, but after a Heavenly Sovereign Realm perished and left his body there, the entire mountain became extraordinary.
Now, the space surrounding the Divine Spiritual Mountain was sealed off by a mysterious and powerful force. Terrifying spiritual energy flowed like tidal waves, and even a Sovereign expert would not dare to enter lightly.
This barrier weakened only once every three years. That was when the greatest event of the younger generation across the Northern Heaven Continent would begin.
The reason was simple—within the Divine Spiritual Mountain lay a heaven-defying opportunity known as the "Divine Spiritual Baptism." For anyone striving toward the path of Sovereignty, its allure was irresistible.
Naturally, it was also something that countless great forces coveted. In the vast Great Thousand World, only those who had stepped into the Sovereign State could be called true powerhouses. A single new Sovereign could elevate a faction's strength and prestige to a terrifying level.
Of course, this was how the people of the Northern Heaven Continent perceived it. To Liu Bai, who had read the original story, even a Earthly Sovereign could not be considered a true powerhouse, much less an ordinary Sovereign.
However, that kind of thinking was not always beneficial and could even lead to disaster.
After all, in his previous peaceful world, arrogance might only make one a laughingstock. But in this world, it could cost one's life. That was why, ever since his arrival, Liu Bai had constantly reminded himself never to make such foolish mistakes.
Many people dreamed that after transmigrating, they would dominate the heavens and earth with ease. Yet even if one transmigrated into a low-level martial world, a modern person would likely not survive three chapters, let alone in such a dangerous and dark cultivation world.
They say that a genius who does not live to mature is no genius at all. Liu Bai would say the same applies to transmigrators—one who does not grow strong is no true transmigrator.
At present, to obtain the Divine Spiritual Baptism, the powerful factions across the Northern Heaven Continent had already gone mad. They would resort to any means necessary. Without great strength or a powerful background, one might not even reach the Divine Spiritual Domain alive.
Every time the Divine Spiritual Mountain opened, storms of conflict would sweep across the continent. The most elite geniuses raised by every major force would join the competition for fortune. Behind them, hidden forces would move in secret—both to protect their own and to eliminate rivals.
Along the way, Liu Bai learned many details about the Divine Spiritual Mountain from Elder Zhu Tian and Mo You—details that had never been shown in the original story, including the shadowy struggles taking place beneath the surface.
The true contest for the Divine Spiritual Mountain, in fact, began the moment the journey started.
The reason why the top forces of the Northern Heaven Continent always emerged as the final victors each time was that the weaker competitors were eliminated long before reaching the mountain. They were simply unqualified to clash with the true prodigies of their generation.
With two Sovereign-level experts accompanying them, Liu Bai's journey was smooth and unimpeded. In less than half a day, they arrived within the Divine Spiritual Domain and soon entered its main city—the Divine Spiritual City.
This city stood beneath the towering Divine Spiritual Mountain, its appearance ancient and majestic.
Due to the mountain's special nature, Divine Spiritual City had always remained a neutral territory. No faction dared to seize control of it, for doing so would provoke outrage and condemnation from all others. In the face of the temptation known as the "Divine Spiritual Baptism," even the slightest disturbance could trigger a calamity that would annihilate an entire clan.
At present, Divine Spiritual City was in its most bustling state in three years. Countless factions and experts had gathered here from every corner of the Northern Heaven Continent.
Of course, there were also some solitary cultivators among them. Though they knew that contending for the Divine Spiritual Baptism against the great powers was a fool's errand, they had already lost count of how many deadly trials they had survived to reach this place. Yet, in the face of such temptation, reason had long been abandoned.
Elder Zhu Tian glanced at the crowds and then turned to Liu Bai. "The Three Minor Disaster of the Sovereign realm—Human Body, Spiritual Energy, and Spirit. Each is more terrifying than the last. A single mistake and you will be reduced to ashes. If even your Spirit cannot escape, you will be erased entirely from heaven and earth."
"Countless experts have fallen to those three Disasters, never to rise again. That is why, in many people's eyes, the Three Minor Disaster of the Sovereign realm are even more dreadful than offending one of the great powers."
"The madness of these people exceeds imagination. Do not think that just because you are a disciple of the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy they will show restraint. In fact, they tend to be even more ruthless toward those from major powers like yours. Once inside the Divine Spiritual Mountain, you must not show mercy."
"Deal with any potential threat before danger has a chance to strike."
Of course, such methods only applied to rogue cultivators. As for the younger generation from top factions, unless there was true blood hatred between them, they would usually act with a degree of restraint. While they might not hold back during combat, they would rarely deliver killing blows, as such actions could easily trigger catastrophic conflicts.
When they arrived in Divine Spiritual City, the first thing Liu Bai saw was the distant mountain at the rear of the city—a towering silhouette faintly visible through the dense spiritual mist.
The mountain was shrouded in a vast sea of spiritual energy, so immense that it was almost terrifying. The roiling currents of energy carried faint echoes of thunder, reverberating through heaven and earth.
As Liu Bai gazed upon it, his eyes narrowed slightly. From that ethereal and dreamlike mountain, he felt an indescribable pressure.
"That is the Divine Spiritual Mountain," Elder Zhu Tian said with a faint smile. "Within that region, any expert who has reached the Sovereign level cannot approach. There exists a special kind of suppression there—only those at the Sovereign realm can sense it.
"It is said that this power is a remnant of the Heavenly Sovereign who passed away there in ancient times. No one knows how terrifying that existence must have been, to leave behind such overwhelming might even after endless ages."
Elder Zhu Tian's tone carried deep awe.
Strictly speaking, both Earthly Sovereigns and Heavenly Sovereigns belonged to the ranks of Sovereigns, yet the difference between them was as vast as the gap between earth and sky.
If the Sovereign realm marked one's entry into the path of the true strong, then the Heavenly Sovereign was the emperor among Sovereigns. In all his years of life, Zhu Tian had never personally seen a Heavenly Sovereign-level being.
Having lived in this world for many years, Liu Bai could understand Zhu Tian's feelings. The Great Thousand World was vast beyond imagination, composed of countless continents. Often, one could live an entire life on a single continent without ever setting foot beyond its borders.
Even someone like Zhu Tian, who had long since gained the qualifications to traverse the Great Thousand World, understood that the gap between a small continent and a medium one, between a medium and a large one, and even more so between a large and a supercontinent, was simply unimaginable.
On the Northern Heaven Continent, a Sovereign was regarded as a supreme existence, yet beyond this land, a Sovereign might be nothing more than a pawn on the battlefield. The longer one lived in the Great Thousand World, the clearer the crushing disparity became.
"All right, enough sentimentality," Mo You said with a faint smile as she walked over. "There are still a few days before the Divine Spiritual Mountain opens. Let's head to the Divine Spiritual Pavilion and wait there."
"That place is where the top powers of the Northern Heaven Continent gather. Perhaps you will meet some of the true elites among today's younger generation."
This was the first time in many years that the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy was taking part in the Divine Spiritual Mountain event. Since Dean Tai Cang had not come personally, both Zhu Tian and Mo You were acting with utmost caution.
The so-called Divine Spiritual Pavilion was the grandest structure in all of Divine Spiritual City. When Liu Bai arrived before its towering gates, he could already sense numerous powerful auras within.
"Liu Bai, stay here and rest with the others for now. We are going to meet some old acquaintances," Zhu Tian said with a smile after a brief pause.
Clearly, the pavilion did not only host the younger generation; many from the older generation had also arrived. Those matters would naturally be handled by the two Elders of the Heaven Seats, while Liu Bai had no need to concern himself with them.
Watching the two Elders disappear up the stairs, Liu Bai withdrew his gaze and, together with a few Captains of the Punishment Hall, found a quiet place to sit below.
Although Liu Bai's name was well-known throughout the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy, very few people across the Northern Heaven Continent actually recognized him. Moreover, the academy, unlike the major sects or clans, did not require its disciples to wear uniforms or distinctive attire. Thus, most of the surrounding cultivators only cast him a passing glance before looking away.
....
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