After Ye Nantian brought Ye Wushuang into the city, he first bought some supplies in the lower market and then found an ordinary inn.
Entering the room, Ye Nantian first changed into plain cloth garments, then took out a disguise mask and prepared to put it on.
After a brief moment of thought, however, he put it down again. Such a disguise was far too conspicuous; if any powerful expert saw through it, it would surely arouse suspicion.
So, reaching down to the floor, he patted his face, intentionally smudging himself until his whole appearance looked rather dirty and disheveled.
Immediately after, amidst Ye Wushuang's shocked and despairing gaze, he changed him into a little girl's dress.
Ye Wushuang opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say a word.
As a Wheel Sea Realm expert, Ye Nantian only needed to sit in meditation for a short while, and his fatigue vanished.
Ye Wushuang, however, could not do the same, so they stayed a little longer for him to rest.
Then, they continued on their long and perilous journey...
...
Along the way, Ye Nantian had disguised himself as a commoner, a merchant traveler, a beggar, and all sorts of other people.
The two had walked on foot, ridden ordinary horses, and even blended into wagon caravans.
The prolonged journey left Ye Wushuang utterly exhausted, his spirits somewhat listless the entire way.
Yet, all kinds of news about him was already spreading everywhere.
He had even heard a rumor that:
A Heavenly Sun Realm expert had personally descended upon Dongyang City, wanting to take him as a disciple!
Unfortunately, that expert was destined to return empty-handed.
When Ye Nantian heard this news, he was also extremely thrilled and overjoyed, but he had no regrets.
If they had kept waiting in Dongyang City, Ye Wushuang likely wouldn't have survived until then!
Ever since that night, Ye Wushuang had never seen Qin Qingxiong or the elders of the two clans again.
He did not know whether they had escaped or perished.
Whenever he thought of this, Ye Wushuang's mood would grow somewhat gloomy.
Regardless, the journey always pressed forward.
After a grueling trek of over a month, a magnificent and colossal city finally appeared in their field of vision.
The Tianxuan Royal Capital had finally been reached!
...
The two of them moved with the flow of the crowd toward the city gates, when Ye Nantian suddenly exclaimed with emotion:
"What a grand display!"
"Even the guards defending the city are Spirit Gathering Realm martial artists!"
The captain of one squad among them was shockingly at the Wheel Sea Realm!
Just this single squad of gate-guarding soldiers was comparable to the high-end combat strength of the entire Ye Family!
As expected of the center of the entire Tianxuan Country and the gathering place of the strong!
Ye Wushuang could even sense a hint of comfort and ease.
This indicated that the spiritual Qi in this place was extremely dense!
"Big brother, may I ask where Tianxuan Academy is located?"
Upon entering the city, Ye Nantian took out a top-grade spirit stone and handed it to the squad leader of the city guards, inquiring politely.
Spirit stones were the universal currency of the entire continent, as well as the most basic cultivation resource.
According to the concentration of spiritual Qi contained within them, they were divided into three grades: top-grade, middle-grade, and lower-grade, with an exchange rate increasing tenfold at each tier.
In a remote corner of the continent like Tianxuan Country, lower-grade spirit stones remained the mainstream currency.
Using a top-grade spirit stone to ask for directions was exceedingly precious!
The squad leader, who had originally been expressionless, now squeezed out a smile:
"Go straight along this main road, head west after reaching the central street, and the sign for Tianxuan Academy is very prominent and can be seen at a glance."
"Many thanks!"
Ye Nantian cupped his fists and headed straight for Tianxuan Academy with Ye Wushuang.
A long while later, a gateway emanating an ancient and rustic aura came into their view.
Carved upon it were the large characters "Tianxuan Academy" in a style reminiscent of flying dragons and dancing phoenixes.
Ye Nantian took a deep breath and prepared to enter, but was stopped.
"What are you here for?"
"If you are here to visit family members within the academy, leave your names, and we will have them come out to meet you."
The guard said expressionlessly.
"I have brought my grandson here to apprentice under a master."
Ye Nantian quickly explained.
"This year's enrollment period has already passed; if you wish to enter the academy, come back next year."
The guard glanced at Ye Wushuang and spoke in a strictly professional tone.
Are you kidding me?
A mere child wants to apprentice here as well?
You must know that the enrollment rules of Tianxuan Academy required genius practitioners in the Meridian Opening Realm whose bone age was under sixteen!
Ye Nantian sighed softly in his heart, feeling rather helpless.
If everything were done strictly by the rules, they wouldn't even be able to get past the gates of Tianxuan Academy.
Therefore, Ye Nantian took a deep breath and shouted loudly:
"Ye Wushuang of Dongyang City, comes to Tianxuan Academy to seek apprenticeship!"
Infused with spiritual Qi, his voice was incomparably sonorous, carrying a great distance and causing countless pedestrians to halt and cast sideways glances.
Just who was this bold, daring to act presumptuously right in front of Tianxuan Academy?
"You! You have quite some nerve!"
The guard was filled with burning rage and was about to make a move to teach this ignorant upstart a lesson.
Hum— hum!
Faint vibrations suddenly rang out between heaven and earth. Within Tianxuan Academy, several majestic surges of spiritual Qi erupted abruptly, transforming into streaks of light that soared into the sky!
Accompanied by a burst of loud laughter and quarrelsome bickering.
"Hahaha! My good disciple! Your master has arrived!"
"Old fellow! Have you no shame? Has the boy even agreed to become your disciple?"
"Hmph! Who in the entire Tianxuan Country doesn't know that my skill in teaching disciples is peerless? If he doesn't choose me, is he supposed to apprentice under a rough brute like you?"
"What's the use of the two of you arguing? Whose disciple he becomes depends entirely on the little fellow's own choice."
...
In the blink of an eye, six streaks of light transformed into human figures appearing high in the midair, their entire bodies radiating spiritual Qi as vast as an abyss and boundless as the sea, exuding the pressure of a king of all beasts.
The guards trembled in their boots, looking up and bowing respectfully:
"Greetings, esteemed mentors!"
Ye Nantian also hurriedly pulled Ye Wushuang along to bow.
The surrounding crowd of onlookers instantly erupted into an uproar.
"Soaring through the skies and standing proudly in the void! Could it be that all of these figures are Heavenly Sun Realm experts?!"
"That is Senior Lihuo! The honorary vice-president of the Alchemist Guild!"
"And the person beside him... could it be Senior Li Fengwu, known as the 'Mad Lion'?"
"My dear mother! So many Heavenly Sun Realm experts!"
"Who on earth is this fellow? A single sentence actually managed to lure out so many Heavenly Sun Realm experts!"
"Holy crap! Ye Wushuang! He is Ye Wushuang! That genius with the Earth-grade Lower-tier Spirit Vein who has been going viral everywhere recently!"
"Holy crap! It's actually him!"
"Holy crap! So it was him!"
"Holy crap! It really is him!"
...
In a certain part of Tianxuan Academy, there was a small courtyard.
This place was situated at the foot of a low mountain, surrounded by dense woods with scarce human footprints, making it look just like a utopia isolated from the world.
The breeze was pleasant, the bamboo leaves rustled, and simply staying here made one feel refreshed and happy.
The spiritual Qi was even more incomparably dense; it was clearly a blessed land for cultivation.
Inside a wooden house within the courtyard.
A woman was sitting in quiet meditation.
She seemed utterly ordinary, her presence so faint that it was barely noticeable; this was because her aura had already merged harmoniously with the heaven and earth, giving people an ethereal and illusory sensation.
Even so, no one could possibly overlook her!
Because she possessed a peerless beauty that did not belong to this mortal world, as if she were the darling of the heavens, with every single contour looking as though it had been meticulously carved!
Her skin was as white and flawless as snow, warm, delicate, and breakable at a breath, resembling suet mutton jade. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains touched with dark pigment, lifting lightly like willow leaves. Her slender eyebrows curved gracefully, resembling mountain ranges in an ink-wash painting, as delicate as silk and as light as mist. Her figure was graceful and nimble, and a white dress drifted with the wind.
She was like an immortal descending to the world, a goddess stepping down into the mortal dust.
No words were sufficient to describe her beauty; it was as if she herself were the embodiment of the word "perfection," her appearance not being her entirety, but merely a testament to the partiality and favor of the Heavenly Dao.
Abruptly, the woman's butterfly-wing-like eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. The surrounding scenery instantly became brilliant and vibrant.
Those were eyes as clear and misty as autumn waters, possessing the brilliance of the stars and containing the quiet serenity of the night sky.
At this moment, there was a trace of joy within those eyes, along with a hint of bewilderment.
Such complex emotions were truly rare for this woman to hold.
"A premonition in the dark..."
"What on earth is this fortuitous opportunity..."
"Six years of waiting, finally seen..."
The woman's barely audible murmurs sounded, and her figure gradually faded away...