"Since you say I'm an peerless genius, I don't need a guide. My talent alone will make Shengwu Academy beg me to join."
Xiayu said with a smile.
The man was stunned for a moment, gave a thumbs up, and said with a smile: "Brother, awesome! I also have all the preferences and main cultivation paths of the outer court elders here. Since brother is so confident, I'll sell it to you for fifty gold coins!"
"Since Shengwu Academy is begging me to join, the outer court elders will naturally have to look at my expression. I don't need to know their preferences." Xiayu said indifferently.
The man was stunned for a long time, nodded vigorously, and said: "Brother is right. I also have the information on the inner court elders here. I'll sell it to you for thirty gold coins!"
"Since I am so outstanding in the outer court, when I reach the inner court, I will naturally possess peerless talent as well! The inner court elders will also have to look at my expression, so I still don't need this stuff."
Xiayu wore a smile with a proud expression on his face.
The man was completely dumbfounded!
"Such a shameless bumpkin, this is truly my first time seeing one! You're ruthless!"
After saying that, the man turned around and left.
Xiayu shook his head slightly, while Xia Yao pressed her lips together and laughed outright.
Duanmu Wenshan, standing to one side, was somewhat bewildered, seeing this side of Xiayu for the very first time.
In his impression, Xiayu's personality had always been somewhat reckless.
How could he possibly know that Xiayu had always lived a life of fierce struggle under immense suppression?
Now that he had reached the capital and his sister's illness had taken a turn for the better, his mood had relaxed a great deal.
This was the real Xiayu!
Moving along with the crowd, Xiayu and the others finally arrived at the gates of Shengwu Academy.
Looking at the dense, sea-like crowd of people, Xiayu was speechless—how was anyone supposed to get in like this?
Suddenly, the expression on Xiayu's face shifted. He turned his head sharply, his eyes instantly turning red.
At this moment, Xia Yao's body was half burning hot and half icy cold.
This time, the condition was clearly much more violent than ever before.
On Xia Yao's head, ice crystals formed on one side while wisps of blue smoke rose from the other.
Chapter 24: This Is Impossible
"Young Master Xia, the forces of water and fire in your sister's body have grown even stronger. It's very likely that the Monarch Realm spiritual pellet you gave her last time stimulated her power."
"We must figure something out quickly! She can hold on for half an hour at most!"
Just as Duanmu Wenshan placed his fingers on Xia Yao's wrist pulse, he was violently repelled in the blink of an eye.
Xia Yao's face was full of pain, her delicate brows tightly knitted, and her facial features slightly distorted.
Yet, terrified of worrying Xiayu, she gritted her teeth and made not a single sound.
"Step aside, all of you!"
Suddenly, Xiayu let out a furious roar that shook the heavens.
The next moment, Xiayu scooped up Xia Yao in his arms and charged straight ahead.
Bang, bang, bang!
The people right at the front didn't have time to dodge and were directly sent flying by the impact.
"Get out of my way!"
A frantic Xiayu had transformed into a ferocious beast.
He charged straight toward the main gates of Shengwu Academy amidst a continuous wave of gasps and startled cries.
Some people tried to push Xiayu away, but he didn't dodge or evade, simply plowing straight into them.
Panic immediately broke out among the crowd.
Yet Xiayu genuinely carved a path right through them.
At the main gates of Shengwu Academy, several outer court elders responsible for the examination frowned.
Someone disrupting the examination grounds was a first in the history of Shengwu Academy—wasn't this slapping Shengwu Academy right across the face?
"Greetings, seniors. My elder sister suffers from a grave illness, and I earnestly implore the Academy to step in and save her life!"
Xiayu rushed up in front of the outer court elders and bowed deeply.
At the same time, he produced his Shengwu Token.
An outer court elder glanced at the Shengwu Token with an arrogant expression.
"This Shengwu Token of yours is meant to be used for academy recommendations. Anything unrelated to the examination must be put aside for now!"
"Elder, my sister cannot hold on for even half an hour. I sincerely hope the Academy can lend a hand."
That outer court elder let out a light snort and said: "Are you aware that you have already disrupted the order of the examinations? According to the academy rules, I have grounds to condemn you."
Xiayu fell silent; he knew these people would not lift a finger to save Xia Yao.
Suddenly, he remembered his purpose in coming to Shengwu Academy.
"Lady Mingyue! Lady Mingyue! Xiayu has a vital request, I beg you to grant me an audience!"
With this cry, Xiayu poured every ounce of strength in his body.
In an instant, the shout resonated like the roar of an Ancestral Dragon, echoing across the entire Shengwu Mountain.
It could even be heard clearly within the capital itself.
"Audacious!" The outer court elder's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "I've shown repeated leniency, yet you dare behave so presumptuously! Men, seize him!"
Several outer court disciples of Shengwu Academy immediately lunged forward.
"Bold miscreant! Surrender immediately!"
Feeling the body of his elder sister in his arms grow increasingly scorching on one side and freezing on the other—while Xia Yao could no longer hold back a miserable moan—Xiayu's eyes turned crimson.
"Get lost!"
Seeing the several outer court disciples charging at him, Xiayu didn't hesitate for a split second, throwing a punch straight out.
Successive sonic booms cracked through the air around his fist.
The leading outer court disciple never expected Xiayu to actually dare fight back.
Caught completely off guard, he was sent blasting backward.
The power purely within the flesh of Xiayu's angry punch amounted to at least one hundred thousand catties.
One might say that even a cultivator at the Peak of Mystic Qi Realm might fall short of him when comparing physical strength alone.
Although the outer court disciples of Shengwu Academy possessed the cultivation base of the Spirit Origin Realm, they were completely unprepared and utterly unable to withstand the blow.
Puff!
He vomited a mouthful of blood toward the sky.
His entire right arm shattered bone by bone.
"Audacious miscreant, how dare you injure people at the gates of Shengwu Academy! Take him down, regardless of whether he lives or dies!"
Upon seeing this, the outer court elder flew into a rage.
For hundreds of years, when had anyone ever dared to so blatantly assault members of Shengwu Academy?
And right at the front door of Shengwu Academy, no less.
This was a succession of loud, stinging slaps to their faces!
Hearing the elder's command, the remaining outer court disciples drew their swords without a second word and slashed downward.
The disciples of Shengwu Academy had always acted with unbridled arrogance; seeing their fellow martial brothers beaten and injured, their eyes turned red as well.
At this moment, anxiety burned fiercely in Xiayu's heart.
Seeing the enemy draw their swords, Xiayu did not hesitate, throwing out several punches with lightning speed.
His physical body directly met the enemy's longswords head-on!
Ancestral Dragon Fist, Immeasurable!
Simultaneously, he once again let out a heaven-shaking roar: "Lady Mingyue, Xiayu has a plea! A human life hangs in the balance, I beg you to come out and meet me."
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Three deafening explosions merged into a single sound.
The three sword-wielding outer court disciples were sent flying straight up into the air, vomiting several mouthfuls of blood mid-flight before crashing down before the gates of Shengwu Academy.
Yet Xiayu's voice reverberated across Shengwu Mountain without a single response.
"Damn it!"
Seeing his own disciples beaten into severe injuries, the outer court elder could no longer hold back.
He let out a sharp shout and slammed a palm toward Xiayu.
In an instant, a massive palm print that blotted out the sun appeared above Xiayu's head.
Heaven-Covering Palm!
It was formed by the condensation of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, possessing terrifying might.
The young people gathered around to join Shengwu Academy hurriedly retreated in all directions.
Initially, seeing a few outer court disciples beaten had made them feel that Shengwu Academy was nothing special after all.
However, the appearance of this Heaven-Covering Palm immediately filled their hearts with dread.
This was what Shengwu Academy was like—just a single outer court elder possessed such formidable strength.
Gazing at the descending Heaven-Covering Palm, a restless Xiayu did not dodge at all.
He dropped his center of gravity, braced his stance, gathered all his strength, and punched upward.
Immeasurable!
Triple Immeasurable!
"Boom..."
A deafening explosion echoed, causing the void itself to tremble.
Many of those standing close by were directly blasted airborne by the invisible shockwave.
They crashed to the ground, unable to rise for a long time, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.
Merely the aftershocks had injured numerous people.
The outer court elder felt immense confidence in his own palm strike.
After all, this Heaven-Covering Palm was no easy feat to cultivate.
It was a Monarch Realm palm technique of tremendous might.
He had spent his life's savings to trade for the Heaven-Covering Palm and had secretly succeeded in mastering it.
Today marked its very first display.
Seeing the expressions of shock on everyone's faces, the outer court elder felt extremely pleased.
He looked toward Xiayu at the center of the Heaven-Covering Palm; even if this palm didn't kill the brat, it would certainly leave him gravely injured.
A mere Spirit Origin Realm ant, no matter how much talent he had, daring to act arrogant at the gates of Shengwu Academy—he must have tired of living!
However, when the smoke and dust cleared, the outer court elder and everyone else present were struck dumb with astonishment.
The spot where the Heaven-Covering Palm had landed had left a handprint two zhang across and over a foot deep in the ground.
Yet, right at the center of the palm print, a figure stood straight and tall.
How could this be possible?
Xiayu gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze locked firmly on the outer court elder.
"Heh, an outer court elder, a Monarch Realm powerhouse, yet you launch a sneak attack—bah!"
The next moment, Xiayu surged forward directly.
Ancestral Dragon Fist, Triple Immeasurable!
"You're courting death!"
The outer court elder flew into a rage, feeling his aged face flush hot.
He had struck down with that palm, yet this brat remained completely unscathed.
Seeing Xiayu charge toward him, he extended his palm and clenched it fiercely.
"Go!"
The surrounding air abruptly contracted.
Countless wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy were drawn inward.
On his fist, Yuan Power fused with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, guided by his own Yuan Power to project a massive fist of pure energy that hurtled straight forward.
The fist surged ahead, expanding rapidly.
By the time it reached Xiayu, it stood three zhang tall.
Wherever it passed, successive air blasts erupted.
Monarch Realm fist skill: Bursting Charge Fist.
"Boom..."
An explosion even more violent than the last resounded, echoing through the void.
Where the two fists collided, the ground directly shattered, rock fragments flew in all directions, and dust filled the air.
An invisible shockwave swept outward, clearing a barren zone roughly ten zhang wide.
Within those ten zhang, numerous wounded individuals lay sprawled across the ground.
The outer court elder let out a cold snort—this time, you cannot escape death!
He hadn't been fully proficient in the Heaven-Covering Palm earlier, and having unleashed it abruptly, he had only used thirty percent of his power.
But this Bursting Charge Fist was his primary cultivation fist skill.
This time, having prepared adequately, he had unleashed at least eighty percent of his strength.
Below the Monarch Realm, absolutely no one could withstand it!
Yet, the next moment, his gaze froze as if pinned in place.
"This is impossible?"
He let out an exclamation of disbelief.
Chapter 25: Battle at Shengwu Academy
As the smoke and dust cleared completely, Xiayu's figure appeared before everyone's eyes.
He kept his head lowered; his tied-up hair now streamed wildly in the wind as he stood sideways.
Cradled in the crook of his left arm, he was still shielding Xia Yao.
Xiayu raised his head and gently wiped away the fresh blood near his mouth.
The next instant, he straightened his chest.
"I am merely seeking treatment for my elder sister, and I earnestly request an audience with Lady Mingyue."
Xiayu began to back away, moving at great speed.
The outer court elder narrowed his eyes, a mocking sneer spreading across his face as he said, "What? You slapped Shengwu Academy across the face and now you want to run? What kind of place do you take Shengwu Academy to be?"
Xiayu ignored him, setting Xia Yao down instead.
"Sister, rest for a moment. Don't worry, I will definitely find Lady Mingyue and cure your illness."
Xia Yao frowned, her eyes filled with pain, and she shook her head with great effort.
At that moment, Duanmu Wenshan appeared by Xiayu's side and said, "I'll take care of her, but you must hurry."
"Thank you!"
Xiayu turned around, locked his gaze on the outer court elder, and said, "I have come to seek an audience with Lady Mingyue! Move aside!"
The outer court elder was taken aback—this kid had some nerve!
He had originally thought this fellow was trying to flee.
To his surprise, he had simply stopped to lay down the person in his arms.
And on top of that, he dared to bark orders at him.
Instantly, fury flared within him.
"Brat, you're tired of living!"
The next moment, he flicked his hand, palm wide open, and slammed it downward toward Xiayu.
Heaven-Covering Palm!
Countless strands of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy condensed, plunging downward under the control of the outer court elder's Yuan Power.
This time, fully prepared, the outer court elder doubled the power of the Heaven-Covering Palm.
He was truly enraged; he intended to crush this young man into paste with a single palm strike.
"Bang!"
Xiayu slammed his foot heavily against the ground, his entire body blurring into an afterimage.
Divine Dragon Movement!
The next instant, a massive roar erupted behind him.
The earth shook violently!
A handprint over a zhang deep appeared in the ground he had just vacated.
Without looking back, Xiayu threw a punch straight at the outer court elder.
Ancestral Dragon Fist!
Triple Overlapping Immeasurable!
This time, he mobilized every ounce of strength in his body.
Bolstered by the Divine Dragon Movement, this punch was as fast as lightning.
Xiayu's body left a trail of afterimages where he had stood.
It was merely the residual images left in the eyes of onlookers due to his sheer speed.
The outer court elder's expression darkened—this fellow had actually dodged the Heaven-Covering Palm.
He let out a cold snort and threw a punch in retaliation.
In the blink of an eye, his fist seemed to swell a dozen times over.
This time, his Yuan Power and Heaven-Covering Spiritual Energy remained contained within his fist, unreleased until the strike.
Monarch Realm martial skill: Bursting Charge Fist!
In an instant, the two figures collided.
The next moment, both figures staggered backward simultaneously.
The outer court elder stepped back heavily, his feet leaving deep impressions in the earth with every step.
He retreated a full ten paces or more.
Xiayu was likewise forcefully repelled by the rebound force, his boots carving two gasps over a zhang long into the ground.
"Boom..."
A deafening explosion rang out.
Only then did the full sound of the blast detonate outward.
The surrounding spectators felt the very space before their eyes shudder slightly.
Immediately after, an invisible shockwave swept through like a collapsing mountain; within a dozen zhang, no one could remain standing.
At the point of impact between their fists, a crater two zhang wide and over a zhang deep had formed.
This exchange caused the expressions of everyone around to change drastically.
None of them had imagined that a young man like Xiayu possessed such formidable strength.
He was actually trading blows with an outer court elder—and this was an outer court elder of Shengwu Academy, no less.
Just as the crowd stood dumbfounded, Xiayu, still retreating, spun his body fiercely and lunged forward once more.
Trails of afterimages emerged—Divine Dragon Movement.
A single point of piercing cold light suddenly materialized.
Cursed Dragon Spear!
Three Cleaving Heaven Styles: Piercing Heaven!
This time, Xiayu intended to end the fight swiftly.
His elder sister Xia Yao was suffering through an attack; he could not afford to waste time here with an old man.
The outer court elder, having just steadied his stance, saw his expression shift abruptly.
He hadn't expected this little fellow to be so powerful.
Before he could readjust, the kid's attack came again.
Without the slightest hesitation, he let out a sharp cry and threw his fists out in succession.
Bursting Charge Fist!
As for Xiayu's spear, he paid it no heed; he believed his fists could conquer anything.
His fists struck out in a frantic flurry—Bursting Charge Fist!
The expanding fists resembled two large doors slamming toward Xiayu.
At that very moment, the cold point of the Cursed Dragon Spear stabbed forward.
Puff!
A muffled thud sounded.
In an instant, the entire world seemed as though someone had pressed the pause button.
The outer court elder's eyes bulged, disbelief written all over his gaze and his face.
He had actually lost!
The tip of the Cursed Dragon Spear rested right against his throat.
Had Xiayu not held back, he would already be dead!
This...
How could this be possible?
He was at the Second Heavenly Layer of the Monarch Realm, yet he had lost to a young man in his early twenties.
If he knew that Xiayu was actually only seventeen—or sixteen by true birth years—it was impossible to guess what his mood might be.
Furthermore, this young man was merely in the Spirit Origin Realm.
He had defeated him across two major cultivation realms.
Right in the midst of Shengwu Academy recruiting disciples, before tens of thousands of people, an outer court elder of theirs had been defeated by an unknown youth.
This face of theirs...
The outer court elder's face flushed crimson, his eyes shot with blood.
"Kill me!" the outer court elder roared at Xiayu.
Xiayu glanced at him coldly and said, "I merely came to seek an audience with Lady Mingyue, and had no wish to make an enemy of you. It is you who kept picking trouble with me!"
"Lady Mingyue, Xiayu requests an audience!"
Xiayu roared for the third time, his voice shaking Shengwu Mountain.
"Audacious! Is Lady Mingyue someone whose name you can just shout out?"
A voice rang down from midair, and several figures swooped downward.
In the blink of an eye, the foremost figure landed directly before Xiayu.
This person wore green and white robes, a longsword slung across his waist, his long hair tied high up, his gaze carrying an air of arrogance.
"Elder Jiao, you've completely thrown away the dignity of Shengwu Academy!"
The outer court elder's surname was Jiao. His lips trembled, but in the end, no words came out.
Indeed, he had lost face on a massive scale.
"Was that you howling and shouting just now?" The man glanced sideways at Xiayu and asked coldly.
Looking at his arrogant demeanor, an inexplicable wave of disgust rose in Xiayu, and he turned around to leave.
He knew that today, he would not be able to see Lady Mingyue.
Since he couldn't see her, there was truly no need for him to waste time here.
He remembered the Seventh Princess's jade pendant; his only option now was to go to the imperial palace and ask the Seventh Princess for help.
Seeing Xiayu turn to leave, the man was stunned at first.
Immediately afterward, fury surged within him.
"Stinking brat, how dare you act so indifferent and ignore me! Gu Feng is being ignored by someone for the very first time. Take my palm!"
Gu Qingfeng let out a loud shout and slammed a palm toward Xiayu.
The palm wind was like a blade, fiercely sharp.
Moreover, his palm expanded several times over in an instant.
Heaven-Covering Palm!
However, Gu Qingfeng was only at the Peak of Mystic Qi Realm and had yet to reach the Monarch Realm; he could not directly condense the Heaven-Covering Palm out of empty air using Yuan Power.
He could only gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy around his palm.
Even so, the might of this palm strike was terrifying in the extreme.
Xiayu spun back, the Cursed Dragon Spear in his hand sweeping downward in a fierce arc.
Three Cleaving Heaven Styles: Cleaving Heaven!
A single point of cold light flashed past.
The air shrieked as the void was torn open!
Xiayu felt a spike of irritability; in this strike, he held back nothing at all.
These people from Shengwu Academy were far too annoying!
Yuan Power surged throughout his body, the energy from his three Micro-worlds instantly pouring into the Cursed Dragon Spear.
"Qingfeng, watch out!" A voice rang out from behind Gu Qingfeng.
At that moment, Gu Qingfeng himself was struck by immense shock.
Facing this spear strike, he felt an overwhelming sense of unstoppable doom.
Yet he had nowhere left to dodge!
The cold gleam of the Cursed Dragon Spear swept across...
Puff!
A faint cutting sound, barely perceptible.
The next instant, an arrow of blood spewed out over a zhang away.
Gu Qingfeng stared at the blood spurting from his wrist, his face draining of all color.
His fist dropped heavily to the ground.
Chapter 26: Isn't That Your Fellow Disciple?