The blue lightning finally died down, leaving Xiao Yan face-down on the cold jade floor of the Secret Temple. He looked like he'd been chewed up by a mountain and spat back out. Every muscle in his body felt like it had been shredded and rewoven with steel wire.
He pushed himself up, his bones popping like dry wood.
"Michael... tell me that's over," he croaked.
[Gate of Bone and Law: Completed. Congratulations, Master. Your 12th Stage foundation is now solid enough that you won't explode if you sneeze. Also, you've been in here for three weeks. The Academy trials start in four days.]
"Four days?!" Xiao Yan scrambled to his feet, ignoring the sharp sting in his ribs. He felt... different. Lighter. He didn't just feel the spirit energy in the air; he felt the weight of it. He gripped the Sword of Heaven and Earth, and this time, the weapon felt like an extension of his own arm instead of a heavy piece of junk.
"Go, boy," the Azure Dragon's voice echoed, sounding exhausted. "The temple has given you what it can. The rest of the climb is yours."
The Center of the Continent
The journey to the center of the Cangyuan Continent was a blur of dust and sore feet. Xiao Yan didn't take a carriage. He ran. He used the movement techniques he'd ground out in the temple, leaping across ravines and sprinting through forests like a red-and-blue streak.
When he finally saw it, he stopped dead in his tracks.
The Eternal Gate Academy didn't look like a school. It looked like a city built for gods. Massive white towers floated in the sky, held up by ancient arrays that hummed with enough power to level an empire. Huge waterfalls flowed from the floating islands into a shimmering lake below, and the air was so thick with spirit energy it felt like breathing perfume.
"Gosh," Xiao Yan muttered, wiping the sweat and road dust from his forehead. "That's a big house."
The base of the mountain was a sea of people. Thousands of young cultivators—some in gold-trimmed robes, others in simple traveling gear—were crowded around the entrance. The "External Disciple" registration line stretched for miles.
Xiao Yan saw the banners of the great empires. He saw the Tang family's black carriages in the distance and the Iron Mountain's heavy wagons. Somewhere in that mess were Shuya and Lieya, probably already being ushered into the "Internal" lines because of their names.
"Hey! Move it, beggar!" a guard in polished silver armor yelled, shoving Xiao Yan toward the back of the longest line. "This line is for External trash only. If you don't have a recommendation letter, get to the back!"
Xiao Yan didn't argue. He just pulled his hood low over his messy hair and stepped into the dirt with the other "trash." He didn't mind. Being a nobody was a lot easier than being a target.
The High View
High above, on the balcony of the Immortal Hall, Yan Bingxue stood perfectly still. She didn't need to look down to know he was there. She could feel that strange, chaotic spark of red lightning amidst the thousands of boring auras below.
A group of elite disciples walked past her, their noses in the air. "Look at that filth down there," one of them laughed, gesturing to the External line. "Imagine thinking you can become an immortal just because you can lift a sword. They'll be lucky to be stable boys by next month."
Bingxue didn't say anything. She just watched a hooded figure in the back of the line adjust a heavy, cloth-wrapped bundle on his back.
(They have no idea,) she thought. (The lion is at the door, and they think he's a stray dog.)
The Final Step
As the sun began to set, the massive jade gates of the Academy slowly began to open. The sound was like a thunderclap, silencing the thousands of people below.
"Registration is closed!" a voice boomed from the sky. "The trials begin at dawn. To the External applicants: prepare to fail. To the Internal disciples: prepare to bleed. Welcome to the Eternal Gate."
Xiao Yan stood in the dirt, his stomach growling for a meal he couldn't afford. He looked up at the floating islands, then at the heavy gates. He thought about his father's fallen throne, his siblings' training, and the dragon in his soul.
(Volume 1: The Ash-Born Prince — END)
He gripped his hood and took his first step onto the Academy grounds.
"Well," he whispered, a sharp, dangerous grin spreading across his face. "Let's see who's really trash."
To Be Continued....