Chapter 288

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In the heart of the valley, a towering stone monument stood resolutely on the ground. Its four sides were inscribed with shimmering text, yet the side facing the valley’s entrance bore only a list of names, each gleaming with a radiant brilliance.

And at the very top of that list, in bold and unmistakable characters, was the name Ye Wushuang.

“What is this?” Qing Chengtian couldn’t help but ask, curiosity piqued.

“Qing Chengtian!” At that moment, a voice of delight echoed through the valley.

“Shi Yan!” A young man strode forward, his face beaming with joy upon seeing Ye Wushuang and the others. This was Shi Yan, one of the seven who had passed the examination in Liuyue City, and the son of Shi Wenyao, the lord of Shanyin City.

With Qin Hao killed and Yun Qingyue missing, the five of them now present were all from the Liuyue City examination venue. Shi Yan looked at Ye Wushuang with a face full of admiration and said, “Brother Ye, you are truly amazing, you know that?”

“Among the more than twelve hundred disciples who passed the Qingyun Academy examination this time, including those from the capital and various counties and cities within the empire, you ranked first, surpassing many outstanding talents.”

Shi Yan had clearly arrived much earlier and had gathered quite a bit of information.

“Have you seen the new student list? Brother Ye, you are number one. Even the geniuses from the five major families in the capital, the Dark Soul Hall, the Qingyun Pavilion, and other powerful factions couldn’t match you.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Xueqi and Xiao Yuan finally began to examine the stone monument carefully.

“First place, Ye Wushuang.”

“Second place, Chu Haoyu.”

“Third place, Qin Cangsheng.”

“Fourth place, Shang Mingjie.”

“…”

“Ninth place, Mo Zixuan.”

“Tenth place, Wang Jinping!”

Looking at the top ten, Qing Chengtian was astonished and said, “The five major families of Qin, Chu, Shang, Liu, and Xiao have seven people in the top ten… that’s just incredible!”

Shi Yan immediately whispered, “What did you expect? Now everyone says that Qingyun Academy is half Qing and half Wu.”

“The native disciples and elders of Qingyun Academy make up half, and the five major families make up the other half. In reality, the influence of the five major families within the academy is even more substantial…”

“However, that’s why we say Brother Ye is amazing. Among the top ten, Mo Zixuan is from Mo Mountain County, and the Mo family there is very powerful. Wang Jinping is said to be recommended by the royal family. Only Brother Ye is from Liuyue City, a small place, yet he has outshined all these geniuses from major cities.”

Wang Xueqi frowned and said, “This might not be a good thing, though.”

Shi Yan immediately replied in a mysterious tone, “Indeed, it’s not. It’s said that now, among the top hundred on the new student list, some disciples who dare not provoke the geniuses of the major families are eyeing Brother Ye with covetousness… They are simply不服气（不服气）”

Ye Wushuang smiled and said, “If they are不服气（不服气）, then I will make them服气（服气）.”

Originally, entering Qingyun Academy was to gain an identity. Now that there was no need for that, what was the point of coming in?

Since this place was controlled by the five major families, it was time to start with the geniuses they cared so much about, one by one.

The debts owed by the five major families could now be settled bit by bit.

Shi Yan continued, “All of us new students will spend the night in this valley today. Tomorrow, a mentor will lead us to the Lingyun Mountain trial.”

“I know about the Lingyun Mountain trial, but I don’t know what or where Lingyun Mountain is,” Qing Chengtian asked again.

Shi Yan explained, “Qingyun Academy is located at the farthest edge of the eastern district. There is no eastern gate here; the academy is directly connected to the Qingtian Mountains outside the capital.

“Lingyun Mountain is a designated area within the outer part of the Qingtian Mountains by the academy. It is filled with many ordinary beasts and first-order spiritual beasts, allowing the new students to train and gain experience.”

“The Lingyun Mountain trial takes place within the Qingtian Mountains?” Qing Chengtian’s expression was shocked.

The Qingtian Mountains were known as the largest and most perilous mountain range in the Qingyun Empire!