The night was deep and tranquil within the isolated room of the Eastern Cloud Inn.
While the news of Lin Feng's brutal death caused subtle, hidden undercurrents to surge throughout the major noble clans of Azure Sky City, the interior of the courtyard remained undisturbed.
Li-Wen sat cross-legged on the jade meditation mat, his eyes closed in deep contemplation.
Floating directly in front of his chest was the translucent blue Three-Hundred-Year Ice-Heart Lotus. Under the continuous warmth of his silver-gold Ki, the lotus had completely liquefied, turning into a serene, icy blue mist that spiraled continuously into his nostrils and mouth.
The cooling sensation washed over his internal organs, soothing the minor strain on his meridians caused by his rapid breakthroughs.
"The Ice-Heart Lotus has fully integrated into my channels," Li-Wen analyzed internally, his divine consciousness scanning his inner body with absolute clarity. "My meridians are now three times wider and far more resilient than an ordinary Earth-Realm cultivator's. Now... it is time for the cosmic ore."
He opened his eyes, his gaze landing on the heavy, pitch-black Abyssal Meteorite Core resting on the floor before him.
Ordinary blacksmiths or high-grade grandmasters of this mortal realm would need specialized high-tier flames and months of tedious smelting to even leave a scratch on a Primordial Void Star fragment. However, Li-Wen possessed something far greater than any mortal fire—the ancient, supreme法则 (laws) of the Void Sovereign Technique.
SWOOSH!
Li-Wen formed a series of complex, ancient hand seals.
A dense, silver-gold flame—the Void Sovereign Qi-Fire—erupted from his palms, instantly enveloping the dark meteorite!
RUMBLE—!
The room trembled softly as the ambient spiritual energy was drawn violently into the silver-gold flame.
The dark, jagged shell of the meteorite began to peel away under the supreme cosmic pressure, dissolving into ash. At the center of the stone, a marble-sized, deep-purple orb emerged, pulsing with dense, chaotic spatial runes that hummed like a distant cosmic storm.
"The core origin of the Void Star..." Li-Wen's golden pupils flared with divine light.
He opened his mouth, drawing the deep-purple spatial orb directly into his Dantian!
BOOM—!
The moment the spatial origin entered his body, an explosive cosmic shockwave detonated inside his Dantian!
The Divine Spiritual Core flared with unprecedented, blinding brilliance. The dense spatial laws contained within the ore began to merge continuously into his Jade-Bone Foundation, causing the golden hue of his bones to darken into an imperishable, ancient cosmic gold!
His Ki reserves doubled! Then tripled!
The silver-gold liquid Ki inside his veins surged like a roaring cosmic river, tearing through the final barrier of the Second Stage of the Earth-Realm with unstoppable, tyrannical momentum!
CRACK!
A crisp, internal sound echoed in his soul.
Earth-Realm—Third Stage!
Li-Wen's aura did not stop there. Backed by the immense energy of the Primordial Void Star fragment and the Ice-Heart Lotus, his cultivation stabilized effortlessly at the peak of the Third Stage, merely a single step away from the Middle Earth-Realm!
Li-Wen opened his eyes, two beams of dark-purple and golden light piercing through the air before slowly vanishing into his irises.
He slowly stood up, flexing his fingers.
AIR-CRACK!
The surrounding space within three feet of his body visibly distorted under the sheer weight of his physical presence!
"Third Stage of the Earth-Realm," Li-Wen murmured, his voice calm and cold. "With my Jade-Bone Foundation now enhanced by spatial laws, even a Peak Earth-Realm expert cannot pierce my skin. My pure physical strike alone now exceeds one hundred and twenty thousand pounds."
He looked toward the window as the first rays of dawn began to break over the horizon.
"Three days have passed," Li-Wen said softly, his light-grey robes fluttering without any wind. "The Imperial Academy Selection begins today."
The central plaza of Azure Sky City was a grand, sprawling expanse built from white marble, capable of holding over a hundred thousand people.
Today, the plaza was packed to absolute capacity.
Thousands of young cultivators from across the entire province had gathered, their eyes burning with intense ambition. The Imperial Academy was the highest martial institution of the Empire; entering its ranks meant gaining access to vast resources, high-tier martial techniques, and supreme political standing.
At the northern high platform of the plaza sat the prominent figures of Azure Sky City—high-ranking Imperial envoys, elders of ancient sects, and the heads of the major noble clans.
Among them, Patriarch Lin Tian-Xiong sat on a grand gilded chair, his face grim and dark as a thundercloud. Beside him stood Lin Zhan, holding his massive black heavy spear, his bloodthirsty aura suppressed like a sleeping volcano.
"Look! That's Lin Zhan of the Lin Clan! He reached the Peak Sixth Stage of the Earth-Realm yesterday!"
"He's definitely one of the top contenders for the first place!"
"I heard his younger brother was murdered three days ago in the central district... The Lin Clan is bloodthirsty today!"
Whispers echoed through the massive crowds.
Suddenly, the crowd parted slightly as a calm, grey-robed youth walked casually into the registration area.
Li-Wen walked with unhurried steps, his aura completely concealed, appearing like a harmless, ordinary traveler.
However, the moment he stepped into the plaza, several sharp, murderous gazes locked onto his back instantly!
Up on the high platform, Patriarch Lin's eyes turned completely blood-red, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his armchair.
Lin Zhan slowly turned his head, his cold, beast-like eyes fixing onto Li-Wen. He raised his heavy spear slightly, pointing the sharp blade directly at Li-Wen's chest from a distance, a cruel, mocking sneer appearing on his face.
Li-Wen didn't even bother looking back. He casually collected his entry number wooden plaque from the registration table and stood quietly in the corner of the plaza.
A few minutes later, a fragrant breeze blew past, and Su Qing-Er, accompanied by several high-ranking guards of the Su Merchant Association, arrived at the VIP viewing deck on the platform. Her eyes immediately found the grey-robed youth in the crowd, a subtle relief flashing across her elegant features.
GONG—!
A loud, booming bronze gong resonated across the entire white marble plaza, silencing the hundred-thousand-strong crowd instantly.
An elder in imperial purple robes stepped forward to the edge of the high platform. He was the Chief Examiner sent directly from the Imperial Capital—a formidable Late Heaven-Realm Expert whose voice echoed like thunder across the sky.
"Silence!" the Chief Examiner declared, his gaze sweeping over the thousands of young geniuses below. "The Imperial Academy Selection officially begins now!"
The crowd held its breath.
"This year's selection rules have been modified by the Imperial Decree!" the Chief Examiner announced loudly. "There will be no standard arena duels on this plaza! All three thousand registered participants will be transported directly into the outer perimeter of the Sovereign Night Ruins!"
The entire plaza erupted into an uproar!
"The Sovereign Night Ruins?!"
"That dangerous ancient realm?!"
"I heard the inner zones are filled with high-tier demon beasts and ancient lethal arrays!"
The Chief Examiner raised his hand, suppressing the noise instantly.
"Your objective is simple," the Chief Examiner continued coldly. "Inside the ruins, three thousand Sovereign Night Tokens have been scattered. You have three days to survive and collect as many tokens as possible. You may use any means necessary—including killing and plundering!"
A chilling silence fell over the young participants. "Any means necessary" meant that inside the ancient ruins, there were no rules, no laws, and no protection. It was a blood-drenched battleground of pure survival of the fittest.
"The top one hundred participants with the highest token count at the end of three days will officially enter the Imperial Academy!" the Chief Examiner bellowed. "Now... step onto the Teleportation Array!"
HUMMMM—!
At the center of the plaza, a massive, ancient spatial array carved into the marble floor lit up with brilliant, blinding blue light! Complex spatial runes surged into the sky, opening a massive, swirling spatial vortex above the crowd.
"Enter!" the examiners shouted.
Thousands of young geniuses leapt into the blue spatial vortex in waves, disappearing from the plaza within seconds.
Lin Zhan walked past Li-Wen as he approached the array. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a low, bloodthirsty whisper.
"Enjoy your last moments of breathing, brat," Lin Zhan sneered, his eyes filled with sadistic excitement. "Inside the ruins... no one can save you."
Without waiting for a response, Lin Zhan stepped into the spatial vortex and vanished.
Li-Wen looked at the swirling blue portal with absolute tranquility.
"Save me?" Li-Wen murmured softly, a cold, divine glint flashing in his golden pupils. "A pack of sheep walking into an ancient graveyard... yet they dream of hunting the tiger."
He stepped calmly into the blinding blue light.
SWOOSH!
The spatial wave enveloped his figure, pulling him directly into the dark, mysterious depths of the Sovereign Night Ruins.
See you in next chapter.....