Chapter 133

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Upon hearing Baiyi’s question, Murong Ying coughed slightly, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and merely gave an awkward smile without saying anything.
“Could it be for any other reason?”
The elder who had been resting with his eyes closed humphed, “Isn’t it all because of Elder Qin Yuan’s scheming!”
Qin Yuan?
“It’s said that a genius has emerged in Liuyue City, and he is a descendant of a Qin clan branch. The Qin clan has called this young man back to the main clan this time, specifically to build momentum for this genius. That’s why we are here!”
The elder opened his eyes at this moment, and his naturally imposing aura was on full display.
“The Qingyun Academy nowadays is full of corruption, with various major family forces infiltrating it. It really needs some cleaning up!”
Upon hearing this, Murong Ying glanced at Baiyi, signaling him not to say more.
The elder in front of them, Elder Tang Chuyi, was a Yuanfu Realm warrior himself. He had been a commoner’s child years ago, who became a disciple of the Qingyun Academy through the assessment and later served as an elder in the academy.
This Elder Tang Chuyi had always been at odds with those from the major families within the academy, especially with Qin Yuan from the Qin clan.
As the top academy of the empire, the Qingyun Academy, after years of development, had many of its elders and mentors appointed from powerful families such as the Qin, Chu, and Xiao clans.
Thus, the academy was now divided into two factions.
One faction was the family-aligned group, and the other was the academy-aligned group. They had been openly and covertly competing for years for their respective interests.
Elder Qin Yuan, from the Qin clan, held a high position within the academy.
Elder Tang Chuyi, on the other hand, was part of the academy-aligned faction and had had significant conflicts with Elder Qin Yuan in the past, harboring resentment towards each other for many years.
This time, the decision to hold the examination in Liuyue City was strongly promoted by Elder Qin Yuan.
However, the academy ultimately assigned Elder Tang Chuyi, the arch-rival of Elder Qin Yuan, as the chief examiner. Clearly, there was a power play between the two factions involved.
Murong Ying, who had served as a mentor in the academy for many years, saw this clearly.
Baiyi, on the other hand, was a recently promoted mentor in the academy and did not understand the intricacies behind it.
“Elder Tang, you are the chief examiner this time. You must show the status and prestige of our Qingyun Academy,” Murong Ying said with a smile.
“Show status and prestige?” Tang Chuyi humphed again and continued, “In the past, when we opened examination venues in various county cities, encountering one or two geniuses was an unexpected surprise. Now…”
“Elder Tang, you are mistaken,” Murong Ying said with a forced smile. “This time, it’s not just Liuyue City, but four other cities are involved as well.”
“So what?” Tang Chuyi retorted disdainfully. “It’s just a gathering of good-for-nothings from several cities instead of one. This time, despite the grand spectacle, I doubt more than ten people will make it to the third round of the assessment.”
The Qingyun Academy, being the premier institution of the Qingyun Empire, had extremely strict admission standards.
With a population of billions in the Qingyun Empire, tens of thousands of people participated in the academy’s admission assessment each year, yet only a hundred or two could pass.
Everyone wanted to rise to prominence, but not everyone had the fortune to do so!
Apart from the three examiners, there were also more than a dozen disciples sent by the Qingyun Academy this time, all of whom looked spirited and stood in front of the main platform.
At this moment, people from various major families also began to appear on the surrounding platforms.
From Liuyue City, the Qin, Wang, Wei, and Yun families, the four major local clans, all ascended the stone platforms.
In addition, families from Qingmu City, Wuping City, Shanyin City, and Yuechi City also made their appearances one by one.
The onlookers around the arena already numbered in the tens of thousands, creating a bustling scene.
At this moment, a figure stepped out from the main platform and stood in mid-air at the center of the martial arena. He coughed lightly, and the surroundings gradually fell silent, with no one daring to make a noise.
The real beginning was about to commence!