Li Yun woke up feeling a little groggy, he looked at the light entering through the windows, as he looked around, he saw that he was in his familiar bedroom in the Peach garden, it had been two weeks since class begun in the Great Dao Academy of Prodigies and the liveliness from the new environment finally began to settle down, he got tired of the large space of his residence in the Academy, so he decided to sleep at home.
"Look like it's time to go back and go to class…" he muttered before standing up and go out to see his parents before going back In the Academy.
As he neared the door, he suddenly felt a chill behind his back, he knew that something was amiss immediately! Nearing the door with renewed caution, he turned the doorknob carefully while holding Heaven Breakers in his other hand.
BANG!
The door was flunked open with a loud noise and despite his readiness before he could react a furry ball like thing hit his head at an incredible speed, he was knocked down on the floor with a cat? hung on his head.
"Honnf Xshi, caHn fhou geth off mhu nw?"
Such a muffled indescribable sound came from under the startled cat, but Hong Xi didn't seems to want to get down for a while. So Li Yun could only rise from the floor awkwardly while holding the fat cat so it won't fall down.
It was then that several hurried footsteps came from the corridor and soon enough a bunch of people came in his room with Li Ya in the lead:
"Hong Xi, be a good boy and let me bring you to the hot spring, I am doing this for your own good so don't be so stubborn."
Hong Xi wasn't convinced by her fake persuasion. What a joke! This cat may have been deceived by them back then, but he wasn't the simple fat cat from before anymore; even if he didn't use his power, with his wit he could use strategy to outsmart them and overcome the dire circumstances.
The cat showed decisiveness as he directly jumped from Li Yun's head and landed on the ground before speeding hiding under his bed, from there he put the mysterious thin books hidden here as a cover then used the turtle holding breath techniques erasing his presence, while muttering in his mind:
'I am sorry Li Yun, but it have to be me or you. I hope you will forgive my sins someday.'
Li Ya and Xiao Ling'er looked for him under the bed getting the thin books that were blocking them outside, while Li Yun finally managed to snap back in reality seeing this and screamed:
"DON'T!!!"
But everything was too late…
....
The sun was shining brightly above the City of Prodigies, young people were seen here and here walking leisurely talking among themselves or hurrying about holding some jade slip and documents, the City was the same as usual other than the festive atmosphere and some students with sweats on their foreheads that were seen sweeping around the City gates and holding buckets of water and some rags to clean up the stones gates. Above a gate was an handsome young man who was stretching and thought about descending from above when another guy called up to him:
"Brother Zhou, Elder Zheng said that our punishment would end here, we are pretty lucky that the Grand festival is about to come so we were let off earlier."
Student Zou Feng was feeling quite surprised hearing that but he also showed some relief, if they needed to clean up even during that occasion then he wouldn't even be able to shed tears even if he wanted to cry.
He then looked at the guy and was about to say something when someone in the crowd caught his attention, it was a young man wearing a night blue Daoist robe that stood out amongst the other even if he didn't want to, but why did his face look so dark? But he didn't care about that and said with a loud voice:
"Greeting Junior Student Li Yun! You have taken good care of us, we will have some catch up someday!"
He then gave a meaningful smile to Li Yun who looked up after hearing someone calling his name, but he only showed a blank face, and turned to continue his way after giving a nod. Zhou Feng was surprised seeing his indifference and showed a serious face looking at the figure fading away in the distance, he knew that kind of look that showed uncaringness to the whole world…
"Something unusual must have happened to him, look like this junior brother is also a man full of story.." It was under such an impression that Zhou Feng put away the cleaning tools and went away with his underlings, they still needed to see Elder Zheng to make a report on their works.
....
Li Yun walked silently feeling quite down inside, he just wanted to become dust and dissipate in the wind; even though he was an optimistic young man, this blow was still too hard for a youngster like him... He didn't have classes this afternoon and decided to wander around aimlessly while trying to clear his head, the new friends he made left him alone tactfully after seeing his expression.
As he drifted in the streets of the city aimlessly, looking at the excitement that was beginning to build up, he temporarily forgot his grief and admired the large arching architecture made specifically for celebrating the Grand Festival of the Academy, he felt curious about it so he approached the people wearing special green robes under it that the crowd were surrounding. As he neared the crowd he asked a senior wearing a green robe who seemed to be free.
"Greeting Senior brother. What is going on here?"
The man didn't show any strange behavior and responded cordialy:
"Greeting Junior brother. We are recruiting students that are free to help setting up the venue to welcome the Grand Festival. This year it will be held in the in the Jade green secret realm; it will be a commemoration for the Exploration team that conquered it as well, the event will be grander than ever before so the amount of helpers seems to be insufficient."
Li Yun nodded his head hearing that, so they were recruiting volunteer! As he looked at the excitement of the youngsters around he wondered how many of them would actually really sign up. That was when the senior brother said:
"Well, since people are occupied with their study and doesn't have that much time in the day, it was decided by the administration that the participant wouldn't have to follow the curfew at night as long as they remain helping in the Jade green secret realm…"
"...Senior Brother, where do one register?"
Li Yun asked quietly.
The senior brother finally showed a smile as he took out a paper sheet and said:
"You just need to fill this and everything will be alright."
Li Yun took it and filled his information, unaware of the smirk on the Senior's face. Youngsters can't resist the temptation of freedom, the can't at all…
....
A crowd of young men and women appeared on the stone place walking through a large stone gate with a twisting portal, they were headed by some people wearing green robes, some guards wearing black robes and withholding stern expressionless face looked at them frightening some young juniors but they stoped after seeing the Jade slip shown by a senior in green grown.
As they descended the stone stair leading away from the entrance, the young juniors brothers and sisters showed grasping face looking at the scenery before them, it was a large fairy like landscape full of mountain wiyh greenery with some Crystal jade pillars towering to the heaven spread around in a particular way as if to held the sky above, the arrangement was full of charm like the scenery of the old era.
Li Yun who was inside the crowd also showed a surprised look but he wasn't that stunned by this sight, even though this place looked like a fairy land it still couldn't compare to the Pea.. ptui! Let's stop thinking about that for now.
The senior sister leading them at the front showed a smile, and began to talk:
"This is the Jade green secret realm, a high rank Secret realm. It was first discovered by a last year senior student thirty years ago, he stumbled in this space while trying to find a certain precious spiritual plant in the surrounding of the Four Seasons Region to finish the last part of his graduation test, he was held here for two months and only managed to walk out after a great amount of struggles. He then went back to the Academy to inform the responsible about this new secret realm earning a great contribution, he was then appointed as the leader to the Exploration of this realm as per rule in the Cultivation Society with the ownership of twenty percent guaranted, and after these thirty years they finally managed to explore it fully bringing it under the control of the Academy."
The juniors were listening with rapt attention about the story, it was rare to hear such a mystical story that happened to a normal cultivator, let alone for a senior that seemed so close to their circumstances. Li Yun also listened for a while but he lost interest when they began to talk about some effect of this realm in the future economic situation of the Academy or whatnot and looked at the scenery and building that appeared around them instead. A squirrel was gnawing at a nutshell on the tree nearby, it didn't show any fear even though this many humans are passing by, the nuts was brought out in the end it looked quite appetizing…
.....
The crowd reached their destination not long after, they were brought before a large jade place that could hold a town on it, on it there were already many students working on the constructions to welcome the guests for the ceremony, a middle-aged man wearing the teacher's robe saw them coming and walked up to them. The senior sister at the front walked up to him and said:
"Greeting Teacher Deng, these are the new helper that registered, I brought them here immediately since there isn't much time left."
Teacher Deng nodded lightly after hearing her, he then looked at these young students with approval, it was unexpected to see so many people willing to give a hand only at these time can one see the noble characters of the students. He smiled at them and gave some encouragement before saying to the Senior sister:
"Student Bai Yue, you can explain everything to these newcomers, help them adapted well to the situation here, I am counting on you."
After Senior Sister Bai Yue promised him to take care of them, Teacher Deng went back to his work under the respectful bow of the student, there were still many thing that must be done so he couldn't dawdle here.
"Well everyone, since we are already here, I will help you as much as I can; but first of all, do you all understand what this Grand festival of the Academy entail?"
Senior sister Bai Yue turned to the newbies and asked with a serious tone.
The newbies all straightened up seeing her serious look, most of them shook their heads, while some of them seemed to know but kept silent knowing what was to come. And as expected…
"For those that doesn't know, the Grand festival is a celebration of the creation of the Great Dao Academy of Prodigies, that happened three thousands of years ago, at that time the founder Scholar Sage Lin Ming found the Dao at the current City of Prodigies and decided to create a new kind of institutions in the Cultivation world, one that have the noble aspirations to bring light to the young heroes and heroines…."
The explanation continued for a while but the gist of it was that Scholar Sage Lin Ming had an epiphany here and decided to create a business to share knowledge and Wisdom to the most talented individuals in the Thirteen Regions, and get their patronage when they reach great height somedays, the Grand festival was actually a gimmick created to remind the people who benefited from the Academy to do some 'donnations' at first, but as many more strange thing in the world, after enough time, even the dumbest and weirdest thing can become a tradition if repeated enough. The Grand festival will be made in three parts, in the first would be the usual openig ceremony with the introduction of the important people in and outside the Academy as well as the speech and what not, most of the students want to skip it but there is a roll call so they could only bear with it… The second part is the beginning of the excitement flashy tournaments that would become a stage to show off for the students in different subject: The most popular being the combat exhibition, ...the puppet master show...and the beaut-cough ability contest for the numerous fairies. There were many more tournaments that get quite the attention like the Golden air ball which is getting more and more popular by the year, as well as some occult one that only maniac would come in like the Green Art tournament where they compete to see who can create the most ridiculous Green creation, it can be anything as long as it's green, and the winner will get the Green Crown that looked like a hat and the title Green king, very prestigious…
The third part would finally be the exposition of the advancement in the many field in the Academy but that is just for the big bosses and the Academy's leading figures; for the students it will be time for the long awaited Free For All Big Fiesta, as you may not know there is a rumor that it was there that a certain prodigy in alchemy made his name in the Academy in his first year when he put to use his skill to make some pills with wondrous uses earning the admiration of the Heroes and the adoration of fairies. Such an unreliable rumor…