Desolate Devouring Art

It had indeed puzzled Liu Wuxie. He couldn’t comprehend why Fan Zhen had to nurture him secretly when he could do it openly.

“Headmaster, please clarify!” If it were someone else facing the headmaster, they would surely feel uneasy. But there wasn’t a hint of a ripple on Liu Wuxie’s face, and he was a little too calm.

“That’s because we need a trump card for the Battle of the Hundred Nations, and you perfectly fit that role.” Fan Zhen revealed, mentioning the Battle of Hundred Nations once again.

However, what did it have to do with Liu Wuxie? He would leave the Great Yan Dynasty in half a year at most, and the Great Yan Dynasty would have nothing to do with him then. He would have no more concerns after eradicating the Xue Clan.

“Battle of the Hundred Nations?” Liu Wuxie frowned, hoping that the headmaster could further clarify it.

“How much do you know about the layout of the True Martial continent?” Fan Zhen asked. He wasn’t sure how much Liu Wuxie knew about the continent.

“I don’t know much. I’m aware that the True Martial Continent is divided into five regions, and the Great Yan Dynasty is a minor nation in the mortal world’s Southern Province,” Liu Wuxie responded. He had learned this from Mu Yueying. He knew that the Southern Province was home to ten major sects and several hundred nations similar to the Great Yan Dynasty.

“That’s right. The Great Yan Dynasty is small, and we can’t even be compared to an intermediate nation.” Fan Zhen smiled bitterly. There was much information that Mu Yueying hadn’t mentioned.

“What does this have to do with the Battle of the Hundred Nations?” Liu Wuxie asked, unable to understand and uninterested in the conflicts of the mortal world. His only desire was to head to the cultivation world quickly.

“The Battle of Hundred Nations is conducted once every decade. Its purpose is to prevent large-scale wars and alleviate the suffering of civilians. Each nation sends their elite warriors to the battlefield to compete, thereby determining the rankings of the various nations. Nations with higher rankings gain more territory. However, the Great Yan Dynasty has lost several cities over the past century,” Fan Zhen explained. So, it turns out that the Battle of the Hundred Nations was designed to resolve territorial disputes.

“So, you’re nurturing me because you want me to participate?” Liu Wuxie finally understood why Fan Zhen wanted to nurture him.

“There are strict rules about the Battle of the Hundred Nations. Those participating can not be over twenty-five, and there aren’t many geniuses under twenty-five in the Great Yan Dynasty. Coincidentally, the Battle of the Hundred Nations is being held this year, and your appearance gave me hope,” Fan Zhen explained. This was because the Great Yan Dynasty couldn’t afford to lose again.

Since Liu Wuxie was a citizen of the Great Yan Dynasty, it was proper for him to contribute.

“Why is there an age limit?” Liu Wuxie asked, appreciating the purpose of the Battle of Hundred Nations as it could prevent wars due to territorial disputes. This seemed like an excellent solution for the distribution of territories.

“The Battle of Hundred Nations isn’t as simple as it seems. The ten major sects will send their envoys to recruit talented disciples,” Fan Zhen explained, a hint of longing in his voice when he mentioned the cultivation world. One couldn’t enter the cultivation world without reaching the True Core Realm.

He might’ve reached the True Core Realm but was a mere ant in the cultivation world.

If anyone could enter the ten major sects, it would be akin to soaring to the sky. Those sects were considered sacred grounds, and ordinary people couldn't enter. One could only join through the guidance of envoys.

The Battle of Hundred Nations was an excellent opportunity to leap in status. Geniuses would do their best to perform well in it, hoping to be accepted by the ten major clans.

Liu Wuxie fell silent. He might’ve planned to leave the Great Yan Dynasty in half a year but still had no clue where to go. The cultivation world was elusive, and he couldn’t possibly search aimlessly for it.

Relying on Mu Yueying, his talent was enough for him to join the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, but he didn’t want to owe Mu Yueying another favor. He knew that joining a sect was the best choice if he wanted to return to the Celestial Realm quickly.

Indeed, there were several benefits to this approach. It would provide a means to gather resources, allow for interaction with a broader range of individuals, and only the cultivation world had the ability to communicate with the Immortal Realm. Given these factors, it was only a matter of time before he ventured into the cultivation world.

“When will it begin?” Liu Wuxie inquired, his eyes gleaming with resolve.

“Two months from now!” Fan Zhen said with a hint of joy in his eyes.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now!” Liu Wuxie stood up and respectfully bowed to Fan Zhen. Upon returning to his courtyard, he was immediately greeted by Li Shengsheng and the others. Word of Liu Wuxie’s promotion to a Heaven Grade student had already spread throughout the academy.

“From this day forward, we must refer to you as Senior Brother. It’s astonishing that you’ve ascended to such heights in just four months,” Zhao Cheng and the others expressed their awe. They were always taken aback whenever they encountered Liu Wuxie.

“These are some pills, and I hope you all can become a Profound Grade student soon.” Liu Wuxie took out some pills. These pills weren’t of much use to him now. But since they were fellow classmates, he would help if he could.

As everyone reluctantly bid him farewell, Liu Wuxie headed to the region meant for Heaven Grade students.

There were just over a thousand Heaven Grade students, and their surroundings were naturally superior to those of the Earth Grade students.

After about an hour’s walk, Liu Wuxie arrived at a vast canyon filled with towering ancient trees and a central arena. This area, equipped with various facilities, resembled a miniature cultivation world.

The cliff was dotted with caves, serving as residences for the Heaven Grade students.

Anyone who entered this region was required to register. The elder who received Liu Wuxie merely glanced at him. It wasn’t surprising for someone of Liu Wuxie’s age to become a Heaven Grade student. However, the elder was curious about what Liu Wuxie had accomplished in the past few months.

“Choose a cave for yourself!” The elder instructed, presenting a map marked with various symbols.

“What do these symbols represent?” Liu Wuxie inquired, referring to the markings on the map.

“These symbols indicate which caves are already occupied. Only this region has some vacant caves,” the elder explained casually, pointing to the bottom right of the map.

It was hard for spiritual energy to gather in this region, and an abode like this couldn’t even be compared to the Profound Grade region.

This naturally made Liu Wuxie displeased. He didn’t care about the grade, but he cared about the cultivation environment.

Upon glancing at the top of the map, he noticed a region at the top left with two unoccupied residences. Between these two caves was another cave, presumably the best region of the Heaven Grade region. Strangely enough, the caves on either side were vacant. While these two caves might not be as good as the middle one, they were certainly better than the others.

“I chose this cave!” Liu Wuxie pointed at one of the empty caves.

“I advise you to give up on this cave,” the elder said with a hint of fury. He reminded Liu Wuxie that he was new to the Heaven Grade region.

“Give me a reason!” Liu Wuxie wore a playful smile. Could it be that someone had occupied the two caves?

“Mo Chong doesn’t appreciate any disturbances during his cultivation,” the elder warned. The mere mention of Mo Chong’s name was enough to instill fear in many, as he was the top-ranked among the core disciples. Rumors were circulating that he was on the verge of reaching the True Core Realm, which would position him to succeed Fan Zhen.

Liu Wuxie finally knew why the two caves were unoccupied. It wasn’t because no one picked them, but they didn’t dare to offend Mo Chong. Then again, it was overbearing for Mo Chong to occupy three caves by himself.

“Thanks for the reminder, but I’ll take this one. Give me the key to it.” Liu Wuxie couldn’t be bothered about that, as he needed an excellent cave to make a breakthrough in the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

The Five-Layered Golden Pagoda was suitable, but no one went there after becoming a Heaven Grade student. This was because this environment was even better than the Five-Layered Golden Pagoda.

“Are you sure about that?” The elder was unhappy, but he had no authority to interfere in Liu Wuxie’s choice. Over the years, many people had made the same choice as Liu Wuxie, but they ended up either dead or crippled.

“I’m sure,” Liu Wuxie replied decisively.

“I hope that you can survive when Mo Chong returns.” The elder took out the key to the cave and handed it to Liu Wuxie. Judging from his words, Mo Chong wasn’t in the academy at that moment.

After receiving the key, Liu Wuxie left the registration area and headed towards his new dwelling. As he passed through the arena, he occasionally encountered Heaven Grade students who were either whispering among themselves or engrossed in their cultivation. Upon seeing him, they paused their activities and turned their attention towards him.

“It’s him?” Liu Wuxie’s appearance was engraved in everyone’s mind. After all, most of the Heaven Grade students had witnessed Liu Wuxie’s death match with Qin Shi, so they naturally recognized him.

“He’s only lucky to have killed the Vice-Headmaster and been promoted to a Heaven Grade student. His cultivation doesn’t even warrant his status.” Mockery echoed from the surroundings as no one believed that Liu Wuxie could have killed Qin Shi with his own abilities. They attributed everything to his luck.

This was the first time someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm had become a Heaven Grade student.

Liu Wuxie didn’t stop and continued walking. He paid no heed to the surrounding mockery, considering these people beneath him. He followed the path and headed to the southern region, which caused the expressions of six Heaven Grade students in the woods to change.

“What is he doing? There are no empty abodes in the southern region aside from those two. Did he pick one of them?” an exclamation broke out in the crowd as it had been two years since someone picked one of those abodes.

“He must be insane. That’s Senior Brother Mo’s territory. Is he tired of living?” The six students grew increasingly agitated. In their eyes, Mo Chong was already on par with the headmaster. Even though he wasn’t the headmaster yet, it was practically certain he would be in the future.

Thus, trying to curry favor and form a good relationship with Mo Cheng beforehand was not disadvantageous.

“We have to stop him! We can’t let him go in!” The six quickened their footsteps, planning to stop Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie increased speed and appeared before the abode in less than fifteen minutes. Before the entrance, there was a vast platform spanning over fifty meters, providing ample space for cultivation or other activities.

It was as expected of the Heaven Grade region. The environment was a few hundred times better than the Earth Grade region, and the density of spiritual energy here was on a whole new level.

“Liu Wuxie, how dare you pick this abode! Don’t you know that no one is allowed near a hundred meters of Senior Brother Mo’s abode?!” The six men chased over, and the man in the middle yelled.

His cultivation was at the fourth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, but he was pale compared to core disciple.

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