Mu Chen smiled slightly, gazing up at the azure sky.
Mu Yuan scoffed, "This guy has learned to act all mysterious now."
"Let me guess."
"You're probably thinking about that guy named Ji Xuan, aren't you?"
Hearing Mu Yuan's words, Mu Chen imagined himself sleep-talking, and immediately felt awkward.
"Brother Yuan, did I sleep-talk again?"
When will I ever get rid of this sleep-talking habit?
"..."
Mu Yuan realized that after he'd tricked Mu Chen once, he'd acquired a new skill: automatic self-interpretation.
Did I read a fake version of The Great Ruler?
Or has Mu Chen started to be led astray by me?
It wasn't "started," it already happened.
From then on, Mu Chen went further and further down the path of self-interpretation, becoming the number one self-interpreter in the Great Thousand World.
Taking a deep breath, Mu Yuan nodded and continued,
"The primary tenet of Mu Estate is to be a person of unyielding integrity, to do things with unyielding integrity!"
Mu Estate's First Principle?
"Brother Yuan, when did Mu Estate get a first principle?"
Mu Chen looked bewildered.
"And what does it mean to be a person of unyielding integrity, and to do things with unyielding integrity?"
Mu Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Share glory and disgrace, advance and retreat together, act righteously, and be upright!"
"Mmhmm."
Mu Chen nodded, then looked at Mu Yuan seriously and said, "If Liu Mubai causes trouble, I'll advance and retreat with Brother Yuan."
Mu Yuan was taken aback. This guy's thoughts were too jumpy. Shouldn't he be asking for help?
"No need. You should focus on improving your strength. Don't hold me back."
Mu Yuan shook his head.
"Huh? But isn't the first principle of Mu Estate to be a person of iron bones and to do things with iron bones!"
"Don't forget the other part, the interpretation of this principle belongs to me."
Actually, Mu Yuan was thinking that if there were no opponents in the Northern Spirit Realm, life would be too boring.
After leaving the Northern Spirit Realm and going to the Five Great Academies, Liu Mubai wouldn't have many chances to appear. As a tool, he naturally had to be used well.
Mu Chen: "..."
Suddenly, Mu Yuan's eyebrows twitched as he glanced at Hong Ling, who was walking over. He said calmly, "What is it?"
Hong Ling gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes fixed on Mu Yuan. There was a hint of hesitation in her gaze, but in the end, she opened her mouth with a delicate sigh, "I don't know anything about those rumors in the Academy."
She didn't know why she was even explaining herself. Perhaps she was clinging to a last sliver of hope.
"But you didn't stop it, did you?" Mu Yuan chuckled softly.
Hong Ling's pretty face froze.
Didn't stop her, in fact, she already felt that Mu Yuan wasn't good enough for her.
"We're not children anymore, let's keep some distance, avoid misunderstandings."
Mu Yuan still gave a light laugh.
But these words made Hong Ling's heart crawl, and that smile, devoid of any resentment, was calm and natural, like the smile between strangers.
But this smile made Hong Ling even more uncomfortable.
Previously, Mu Yuan would always smile jokingly, but not this time. She understood that it was a distancing, that in Mu Yuan's eyes, she was almost a stranger.
The lost friendship, the one that was missed, would never be regained.
With the Academy Trial concluded, the crowd gradually dispersed, and the arena returned to its usual tranquility.
However, the lingering heat from the trial still enveloped Northern Spirit Academy. For days, the entire academy buzzed with discussions about the intense competition.
Mu Yuan truly shone during this Academy Trial.
Even though he had a strong background, he had previously been quite ordinary in his cultivation, considered a legendary waste in the eyes of many.
But the unexpected happened right before their eyes.
Mu Yuan transformed into a genius, possessing a Spiritual Vein and successfully advancing to the Heavenly Rank with the strength of the Spirit Moving Stage's middle phase.
Of course, besides Mu Yuan, Mu Chen also truly made people realize just how monstrous he was.
Mu Chen was usually not ostentatious. If it weren't for the matter of the Spiritual Path, perhaps not many students would have paid him much attention.
Spirit Moving Stage, mid-stage cultivation, and the top person in the Earth Rank this time.
Only then did they feel that it wasn't so unbelievable that Mu Chen had obtained the only Spiritual Path qualification in the Northern Spirit Realm.
Mu Estate had produced two outstanding talents, and everyone knew that with their mid-stage Spirit Moving Stage strength, they could achieve a good ranking even within the Heavenly Rank of Northern Spirit Academy.
In contrast, the former Earth Rank champion, Liu Yang, was defeated by Mu Yuan, and didn't show anything impressive in front of them.
The Heavenly Rank, that was where all the outstanding students of Northern Spirit Academy gathered.
And to advance to the Heavenly Rank, a core requirement was to have Spirit Moving Stage cultivation.
Even if you were a legendary genius who could challenge across levels, defeating someone in the Spirit Moving Stage with Spirit Sensing Stage cultivation wouldn't work.
The foundation lies in one's cultivation level.
Therefore, the weakest students in the Heavenly Rank already possess the strength of the early Spirit Moving Stage.
Once they ascend to the Heavenly Rank, they gain the qualification to compete for a spot in the Five Great Academies.
The selection process for the Five Great Academies is extremely rigorous. The primary, core requirement is similar to advancing to the Heavenly Rank in Northern Spirit Academy: it only considers cultivation, not actual combat ability.
Students must reach the Spirit Rotation Stage before the age of eighteen, and then their strength will determine their eligibility.
This single condition alone is enough to deter countless youths.
Currently, in the Heavenly Rank of Northern Spirit Academy, probably no more than five students meet this requirement.
This illustrates just how daunting the admission standards of the Five Great Academies are.
A genius?
That doesn't mean much. The Five Great Academies are never short on geniuses.
You could say that every young person with the qualifications to compete for a spot in the Five Great Academies is a genius.
But only the most outstanding geniuses can actually step through the doors of the Five Great Academies.
Even though the requirements are strict, countless talented young geniuses still throw themselves at the challenge like moths to a flame.
The Five Great Academies' power has long been ingrained in the hearts of everyone in the Northern Spirit Realm.
Take the Northern Spirit Realm itself: a Spirit God Stage expert already commands great prestige, standing above ten thousand people, and is powerful enough to dominate a region.
However, this level of strength, placed within the Five Great Academies, would probably be surpassed by any random instructor.
In the eyes of the Five Great Academies, the Northern Spirit Realm was no different from an ant.
After all, within those Five Great Academies were truly Supreme-level powerhouses, individuals who could turn the world upside down with a mere gesture.
A genuine Supreme, even in the Great Thousand World, was considered a powerhouse.
However, the path to becoming a Supreme was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Talented youths like Mu Chen might inherently possess the potential to become a Supreme.
But without proper guidance and cultivation, it would be difficult to achieve greatness, let alone stand out in the Great Thousand World, which teemed with countless geniuses. It would be even harder to become a true Supreme.
After all, even the finest jade needed the meticulous carving of a master to shine brilliantly.
And this kind of high-level guidance in cultivation was only available to forces that had produced a true Supreme.
So, these Five Great Academies are a passport to the path of the strong.
-------------
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