Seeing the old man pull Tang San into the Holy Academy's registration area, the admission teachers from both the Main Academy and Branch Academy showed sympathetic expressions.
"Another poor soul this year."
"Why was this kid in such a hurry? If he'd just asked around first, he wouldn't be in this situation. No decent person tries to enter the Spirit Saint Academy through entrance exams—you're supposed to join the Main Academy first and get promoted later."
Some clueless students registering nearby asked curiously, "Teacher, what's so strange about this Holy Academy?"
The Branch Academy teacher smiled bitterly. "As their names suggest, graduating from the Branch or Main Academies qualifies you to work at the Branch or Main Halls of Spirit Hall. But the Holy Academy is different. While graduates can also serve at the two Holy Palaces of Spirit Hall, it was originally established to select candidates for Holy Child and Saintess."
A knowledgeable student asked, "But doesn't Spirit Hall already have a Saintess now?"
The teacher nodded. "Indeed, the current Saintess has already been chosen. But unlike previous selections, the current Pope directly appointed her rather than through the Holy Academy's selection process. Moreover, even with a Saintess already chosen, if a more outstanding candidate emerges, they could replace the current Saintess. The Holy Academy can reselect candidates at any time."
"Because the Holy Academy exists to select Holy Children and Saintesses, its entrance exam isn't something ordinary Soul Masters can pass. In all these years, only the previous Saintess, Bibi Dong, has ever passed the Holy Academy's entrance exam."
A Soul Master who'd been enrolled for several years asked, "The previous Saintess Bibi Dong? Why haven't we heard of her recently?"
The middle-aged teacher shrugged helplessly. "No one knows. Her Highness Bibi Dong was exceptionally talented back then—so much so that Pope Qian Xun Ji exceptionally took her as his personal disciple. But later, we heard she disappeared without a trace. The specifics remain unknown, making it one of Spirit Hall's greatest unsolved mysteries all these years."
Meanwhile, inside the registration office, Tang San hadn't expected such enthusiastic treatment from the Holy Academy's admission staff. He smiled wryly, "Teacher, you're being a bit too enthusiastic—I'm not quite used to it. But ten gold coins isn't a problem."
For Tang San, young master of the Clear Sky Sect, ten gold coins was pocket change. He retrieved ten coins from his Soul Guidance Device and placed them on the table.
Seeing the gold coins, the priest-like old man's eyes gleamed as he swiftly collected them.
Tang San's prompt payment made the old priest immediately grab his sleeve as if afraid he'd escape. "What fortune! What serendipity! If you can pass our Holy Academy's entrance exam, reaching the pinnacle will be effortless for you."
Tang San was amused by the old priest's antics. "Reaching the pinnacle effortlessly? Your Holy Academy sounds more like a shady shop than a proper institution."
Hearing this, the old priest chuckled nervously. "Hahaha, nothing of the sort! It's just... our entrance exam is slightly... challenging."
The old missionary even gestured with his hands, indicating that it was really just a little bit difficult.
Tang San smiled. He had long heard that the entrance exam for the Sacred Academy was extremely challenging, with almost no one able to pass. He had come here with a challenger's heart to see just how difficult it really was. Nodding, he said, "Very well, let me see how tough the entrance exam for your Spirit Hall Academy's Sacred Academy truly is."
"Good, good, good, let's go, let's go." The old missionary chuckled, wrapping an arm around Tang San—his golden goose—and prepared to lead him to the entrance exam.
Tang San glanced at the old missionary and said with a smile, "I don't even need to fill out an application form?"
"Ah? Oh, oh, the application form? That's not urgent, not urgent at all. You can fill it out after passing the entrance exam," the old missionary coughed dryly, looking somewhat awkward. After all, in his eyes, Tang San was nothing more than a gold-spewing fish—once the gold was in his hands, there was no way he'd give it back.
As for the application form, it was completely unnecessary since there was no chance of passing anyway.
But soon, the old missionary adopted the tone of a lofty expert and said, "Our Sacred Academy values fate above all. If you can't pass the entrance exam, then it simply wasn't meant to be. We would just be passing strangers, with no need to know each other's affairs."
"No matter. I feel that I must share some inexplicable fate with your Spirit Hall," Tang San couldn't help but laugh.
And why wouldn't he? The Rakshasa God was a deity of darkness, while the Angel God was one of light. If a twisted bond wasn't fate, then what was?
Tang San followed the old missionary deeper into the academy. However, what was unusual was that they didn't take the main path but instead followed a secluded, winding trail. After meandering for quite some time, they finally arrived at the so-called Sacred Academy entrance exam.
"What kind of place is this? The Spirit Hall Academy actually has such a location?" Tang San was astonished. Unbeknownst to him, the old missionary had led him into a forest shrouded in white mist.
Through the haze, Tang San could vaguely make out a pair of enormous white jade gates towering like a mountain amidst the fog.
"We're here. This is the entrance exam for the Sacred Academy," the old missionary said with a grin, pointing at the massive jade gates. "Open these gates and step inside."
"Open these gates?!" Tang San slowly raised his head. The dense fog obscured everything, making it impossible to see even his own outstretched hand. He couldn't even discern how tall or wide the jade gates were. If not for the old missionary's guidance, Tang San wouldn't have been able to locate the gates at all—they seemed to blend seamlessly into the mist.
But one thing was certain: these jade gates were anything but light.
The old missionary chuckled. "Alright, the rest is up to you. I'll come back for you in three days."
With that, the old missionary seemed to vanish into the mist, disappearing without a trace.
Watching the old missionary suddenly disappear, Tang San frowned. It felt as though he had stepped into another realm—surrounded by an endless expanse of white, with no sense of direction whatsoever.
Tang San slowly approached the jade gates, examining them carefully. "This mist doesn't seem like ordinary fog. If I didn't know better, I'd think I'd wandered into heaven."
It was no wonder he thought so. In this white void, a jade gate stood imposingly before him.
"That old missionary didn't seem to say we couldn't use Martial Souls. Why not try smashing it with the Clear Sky Hammer?"
With a thought, a buzzing sound rang out as the Clear Sky Hammer appeared in Tang San's hand. Since this was a test, there was no reason for him to hold back—he would go all out!
The next second, the light of his third Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet. Against an immobile structure like this, his Return to Emptiness was the perfect counter, capable of directly shattering the jade gate.
"Return to Emptiness!"
With a resounding thud, the Clear Sky Hammer struck, and a tiny black hole appeared where the hammer met the gate. However, in the next moment, something unexpected happened—the black hole that should have distorted space simply vanished!
"Huh?! How could this be?"
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