Sen Lei and his companions safely arrived at Rad Academy, located in the center of the continent."Finally, we're here," Sen Lei said as he jumped off his horse.The journey had been tedious for him, except for the conversations with Feng Jing Sheng that kept him entertained. The others were too silent, probably too intimidated to speak to him, being the crown prince. Of course, the main reason was the shock of him defeating Liu Sheng in an instant at the palace last night. But Sen Lei didn't think that way; he wished they would talk to him. The trip had been awkward and boring for him.Especially Su Qianyi! Just because he lost to me once, he's mad and ignoring me like a child!"Ah," Sen Lei sighed helplessly. With this kind of atmosphere, how could they win? He would have to be the one to carry the team. It felt like being in a team dungeon raid with no one talking on voice chat."It's so tall," Feng Jing Sheng looked up, raising her little head.Sen Lei looked up as well.In front of them was a towering mountain range, with mountains connected to mountains, and trees and flowers creating a picturesque landscape. Mist was everywhere. At the base of the mountain stood a tall monument, at least three zhang high, almost like a small mountain itself. On it were written four grand golden characters: "Rad Academy."Sen Lei nodded. This was the only academy for cultivation on the continent; its grandeur was only fitting.
Since Rad Academy was situated in the mountains, the first thing to do upon entering was to climb the mountain.
But don't underestimate the climb.
From Sen Lei's perspective, the layers of ridges and peaks made even the smallest platform look about a zhang high.
His father had mentioned before that the steps of this mountain were infused with spiritual pressure; the higher you climbed, the greater the pressure. Without a spiritual body realm, one couldn't even think about entering the academy. This wasn't even the examination, just a prerequisite.
Otherwise, the place would be overcrowded every time the academy opened. The selection process would be enormous, so the elders had set up a small test at the base of the mountain to filter people out right away.
Su Qianyi looked at the majestic mountain range with determined eyes. His belief was simple: to become stronger!
Sen Lei and his companions didn't waste any more time, as the grand competition was about to begin. The cultivators from other empires were likely already waiting above.
Without further ado, Sen Lei began to climb the mountain at an impressive speed.
His group followed closely behind.
To be honest, with his current realm and physical toughness, Sen Lei could move freely under this spiritual pressure. In no time, he had climbed more than half of the way.
The others, except for those at the peak of the spiritual body realm, were struggling a bit.
But soon enough, everyone safely reached the true entrance of Rad Academy.
In front of the grand entrance, many cultivators were already gathered.
Sen Lei and his companions did not attract much attention. The cultivators here were all quite capable, and those with any strength were trying to act aloof, as if they were above it all.
The entrance competition at Rad Academy was unprecedented. This time, it could be considered a grand event. Rad Continent had ten empires, each with a thousand cities. The selected geniuses from each empire were already dozens, not to mention the independent cultivators. Securing a spot in the top hundred was incredibly difficult, let alone the top ten, which was merely a qualification to enter the academy. The top three seemed like an impossible dream.
Moreover, the kings of each empire were not allowed to watch the competition.
However, if one did achieve a high rank, after entering the academy, not only would they receive support in elixirs and talismans, but they would also be a focus of the academy's training. This opening of the academy was aimed at increasing the chances of being chosen when the upper realm opened, so the geniuses emerging from this competition would receive special attention. Additionally, if one ranked highly, their empire would be honored, and the rewards from the empire would be generous.
While talent was important, cultivation resources were even more so. Even a genius without resources would be worn down to nothing over time.
Like Liu Sheng, whose talent was even lower than the weakest participant from Sen Luo's group, but with abundant resources, he had significantly closed the gap in talent.
Sen Lei's realistic goal was the top three, but his true aim was to be the champion of this competition! This was not only for the pride of Sen Luo and his father but also to disappoint and anger those who wished to see him fail. Furthermore, he wanted to enter the secret realm and explore the mysteries of the upper realm in the future!
It was said that Feng Tianya was now the most talented person in the Xuanyao Hall and was about to break through to the Dao realm. Even if Sen Lei didn't seek him out, he wouldn't let him go. This person must pay the price!
He wouldn't kill him, for if he did, the girl beside him would be lost. He didn't want to make Feng Jing Sheng uncomfortable.
Suppressing his murderous intent, Sen Lei took a deep breath. He couldn't let his state of mind be disturbed now.
Feng Jing Sheng noticed his unusual expression and quietly tugged at his clothes, asking, "What's wrong?"
Sen Lei snapped out of it and smiled, "There are too many people here. It's a bit scary."
Feng Jing Sheng covered her mouth and laughed, "You still have things you're afraid of? Are you afraid of crowds?"
"No, it's mainly because your mask is too ugly," Sen Lei said seriously.
"You're annoying! You're the ugly one!" Feng Jing Sheng's blue eyes blinked beneath her mask.
Actually, Sen Lei had bought Sheng Er a white fox mask earlier to avoid any awkward encounters with his brother.
"Howl, howl," at this moment, Xiao Qi poked its sleepy head out from Sen Lei's wide cloak hood, curiously looking around and making a cute sound. Since returning to Sen Luo, it had been sleeping a lot and amusingly, just by sleeping, it had increased its realm to the peak of the spiritual body realm!
Sen Lei was both envious and helpless. How could this be? He worked so hard, nearly losing his life to improve his realm, while this little thing just slept and grew stronger.
It was infuriating. Not fair at all.
"Hello!" a cold voice called out from behind them.
Sen Lei turned to see a beautiful young woman in a blue dress.
"What do you want?" he asked, puzzled.
"How much for the dog?" the woman asked directly.
Xiao Qi seemed to understand and protested with a hissing sound,
"I'm a wolf, not a dog!"
Sen Lei waved his hand, "Sorry, not for sale."
"Impossible. Everything has a price. Don't try to fool me. Although this spirit pet is at the peak of the spiritual body realm, it will need a lot of resources for future cultivation. Ten thousand spirit coins should be enough," the woman said, her voice rising.
The people around them were shocked.
"Ten thousand spirit coins! My god! Did I hear that right?" one person rubbed their ears.
That was equivalent to a lifetime of wealth for an ordinary person. What was this woman's background?
Everyone gasped. If it were them, they would have agreed immediately.
But who was Sen Lei? A crown prince didn't care about such an amount of money.
"Miss, I've already said it's not for sale. Don't you understand human language? And I didn't understand half of what you said," Sen Lei frowned, holding Xiao Qi.
"You!" The woman's face turned frosty.
Then she said, "Do you know who I am? I always pay what I offer. There's no need to doubt my words."
Sen Lei chuckled as if hearing something amusing, "I don't care who you are. Whether you're a noble lady or a princess, this isn't your home. If you want to be spoiled, do it at home. Don't cause trouble for me!"
The woman trembled with anger, her red crystal earrings jingling.
"Princess, we should go inside now," a refined young man stepped forward.