I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Chapter 186 Hidden Dragon Academy

With Wu Ming and Yan Chuyu both possessing bodies that had undergone four stages of blood coagulation, and with Liu Muyuan, a master who had undergone six stages of blood coagulation, leading them, their journey through the Yong Kingdom was naturally smooth and without any danger.

In just two days, they traveled from Jingye City, a remote town in Yong Kingdom, to the capital city located in the center of Yong Kingdom.

King's capital.

Compared to Jingye City, its city walls alone are much more magnificent and towering, reaching nearly a hundred feet high and soaring into the sky. Mortals standing below this giant city can only look up at its height and feel their own insignificance.

Wu Ming gazed at the magnificent capital city, feeling quite calm. After all, he was no longer the naive man he once was. By the time he arrived here, his martial arts had reached the fourth stage of blood condensation, and his primordial spirit had entered the fifth stage of refinement. He was now considered a backbone force in the entire Yong Kingdom, unlike when he first entered Jingye City and was merely a novice first-blood martial artist.

After entering the city,
Yan Chuyu immediately bid farewell to Liu Muyuan, then greeted Wu Ming and arranged to meet at Qianlong Academy before leaving and quickly disappearing into the bustling streets.

Wu Ming followed Liu Muyuan and continued walking towards the inner city of the capital.

"In the capital of Yong Kingdom, there are three sects and four factions. For example, the Blood Blade Tower in Jingye City has its main sect in the capital. These sects are basically guarded by experts who have reached the seventh level of Blood Condensation. However, you don't need to worry too much. None of them would dare to act recklessly in the capital."

"In this Yong Kingdom, the greatest power is the royal family. There are two experts who have reached the seventh level of blood coagulation within the royal family. In addition, two of the three sects and four factions are orthodox sects of the court, which are ruled by the royal family. There are only one or two truly independent sects. Furthermore, several major government agencies, including the Demon Suppression Division and the Penal Division, are also under the command of the court."

Liu Muyuan introduced Wu Ming to the various forces in Jingye City.

Wu Ming walked to the side, listening solemnly. Although he had Liu Muyuan's backing and sufficient strength of his own, he was not too afraid in the capital of Yong Kingdom. However, he still needed to pay attention to some forces.

After all, the capital city is not like Jingye City, and it is not a place where he can run rampant for the time being.

"For you, entering the Hidden Dragon Academy is not difficult, and competing for a ranking within the Hidden Dragon Academy is equally easy. However, to compete for a ranking, you will have to clash with the young talents of various forces. But as long as you are within the Hidden Dragon Academy, everything is fair. No matter which force your opponent comes from, you do not need to be afraid. Whenever it comes to competing for resources, you can go all out without any worries."

Liu Muyuan continued to instruct Wu Ming.

"The disciple understands."

Wu Ming listened to Liu Muyuan's words and nodded solemnly.

These words were quite crucial. After all, a place like the Hidden Dragon Academy was a melting pot of all sorts of people, including members of the royal family, various factions, and young talents from various government departments. Most of them had powerful backgrounds, and once it came to competing for resources, conflicts with these people were inevitable. Now that Liu Muyuan had said these words, he could act with peace of mind.

Liu Muyuan has completed six stages of blood condensation in martial arts and at least seven stages of primordial spirit refinement in Daoist techniques. Although he cannot dominate the entire Yong Kingdom, he is still one of the top experts. With Liu Muyuan as his master, he does not need to worry about the background of others.

soon.

Led by Liu Muyuan, Wu Ming arrived at a stronghold located behind the inner city of the capital.

Despite being called the Hidden Dragon Academy, it has nothing to do with "academy" at all. It occupies a vast area, resembling a city within a city, with all the buildings inside being solemn and dignified, exuding an austere atmosphere.

Led by Liu Muyuan, Wu Ming arrived at the main hall in the center of Qianlong Academy without any obstacles.

"Master Liu."

A middle-aged man in an official robe stepped forward. He possessed a strong aura and had reached the sixth level of blood coagulation. He took the initiative to greet Liu Muyuan, cupping his hands in greeting and displaying a very polite attitude.

"Lord Zhang."

Liu Muyuan bowed slightly to the other party and then introduced Wu Ming: "This is my disciple whom I took in Jingye City. He was promoted to the position of chief clerk in the Shenxing Division. Now he has come to the capital with me to enter the Qianlong Academy for cultivation."

Without Liu Muyuan's introduction, Zhang Yong knew Wu Ming's identity. He was the vice dean of the Qianlong Academy. In addition to guiding the young geniuses in the academy in their cultivation, he also paid attention to some of the newly emerging geniuses in Yong Kingdom. Generally, those under the age of twenty-five who had completed the fourth level of cultivation or the fourth level of blood cultivation could enter his field of vision. Wu Ming was naturally among those he was paying attention to.

"I have long heard of Lord Liu's disciple. I remember he had already achieved the fourth level of Nascent Soul Refinement a long time ago. Now he has also achieved the fourth level of Blood Condensation in martial arts. He is indeed a young prodigy... However, to enter the Hidden Dragon Academy, the necessary procedures still need to be followed."

Zhang Yong said with a smile.

Liu Muyuan nodded slightly, signaling Wu Ming to step forward.

Wu Ming remained calm, bowed to Zhang Yong, and then followed Zhang Yong into the hall.

"It's called a procedure, but there's really nothing to it. It's just a matter of testing your age and talent. Since Lord Liu sent you here, your entry into the Hidden Dragon Academy should be a sure thing. There's no need to be nervous."

Zhang Yong smiled and led Wu Ming into the hall. He first took a golden needle, took a drop of blood from Wu Ming's fingertip, and then took a strand of Wu Ming's hair. He then placed them on a peculiar stone plate. As the stone plate emitted bursts of light, it absorbed the blood and hair, and somehow confirmed Wu Ming's age.

Seeing that Wu Ming was indeed under twenty-four years old, Zhang Yong was quite impressed. He then gestured for Wu Ming to stand still.

Swish!
The next moment, a point of light shone from the main hall, illuminating the area and then transforming into a beam of light that enveloped Wu Ming.

Wu Ming felt his vision blur, and the world before him suddenly changed. He was no longer standing in the main hall, but in a vast white world. In this white world, he saw a door in front of him. The door had no substance; it was made of illusory points of light. These points of light were connected by threads, weaving together mysterious patterns. "This is the Xuanmen (Mysterious Gate)."

Zhang Yong appeared beside him and explained to Wu Ming, "When one's primordial spirit reaches the seventh level of refinement, the various profound Dao patterns one has mastered reach a certain level, and one can gather Dao patterns to form an array. There are arrays everywhere in this Hidden Dragon Academy, and there are many different kinds of arrays. There are also many arrays in this main hall. The one we are looking at now is called the Mysterious Gate Array."

"This Xuanmen Formation has countless mysterious gates. Whether you are a martial artist or a cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage, you can try to break through them. You can break through them with brute force or with comprehension. Once you break through the first four gates, you can enter the Hidden Dragon Academy. As for the gates after that, you can also try to break through them. The more gates you break through, the higher your potential will be, and the more resources you will be able to enjoy after entering the academy."

After hearing Zhang Yong's explanation, Wu Ming immediately understood. He bowed to Zhang Yong and said:
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I understand now."

finished,

He then stepped toward the first door.

Zhang Yong watched Wu Ming walk towards the Xuan Gate and nodded slightly. At this moment, Wu Ming was completely enveloped in the formation. Although he was walking towards the formation, his body outside was actually standing still.

Zhang Yong stepped back a few steps, exiting the formation's range, and stood beside Liu Muyuan. He smiled at Liu Muyuan and said, "Not long ago, a young Daoist disciple came to the Ziyuan Sect. Relying on his talent, he broke through five gates in a row. I wonder which gate your disciple, Lord Liu, will be able to break through to?"

"..."

Liu Muyuan remained calm, gazing ahead, and did not reply.

The Xuanmen Formation can be broken through by talent, and it can also be broken through by strength. Putting aside Wu Ming's talent for the time being, his strength is more than enough to forcefully break through the four gates. If we add his talent, he is quite curious about how many gates he can break through.

Within the array.

Wu Ming stared at the mysterious door.

He could sense the fragility of the door. If he used brute force and mobilized his own blood energy, it would be easy to break through it in one move. However, this method of breaking through was based on brute force. He wanted to explore the mysteries of this formation.

Wu Ming stared intently at the dots of light and the mysterious trajectories on the door, completely absorbed in them. After a brief moment of disorientation, he quickly noticed some of the subtle details and, in no time at all, saw through the pattern.

then,

Wu Ming bent his finger forward and gently tapped it.

The finger touched a spot of light directly, and then Wu Ming drew a white line diagonally.

Click.

With just a light touch and a single stroke, without using any brute force, this door, formed by interwoven dots of light and threads, burst forth with a shattering sound, and then crumbled and disintegrated inch by inch.

"I see, it's quite simple..."

Seeing this, Wu Ming withdrew his hand, revealing a thoughtful expression.

The light spots and threads on the door are actually a kind of mysterious Dao pattern. To break through the door, one can either use brute force to shatter this Dao pattern and destroy the power contained within the door, or one can comprehend the essence of this Dao pattern.

After breaking through the first gate, Wu Ming continued forward, and soon a second gate appeared in his sight. This gate was similar to the first one, also composed of light spots and threads, but it contained more light spots and threads, and the power contained within the gate was also more profound. In Wu Ming's perception, it would be quite difficult to force his way through using only physical strength.

of course,

If we're talking about Taoist magic, for Wu Ming now, a single Divine Thunder Talisman would be enough to break through several gates.

However, he still did not choose to break through by force. Instead, he continued to observe the light spots and threads on the door and study those mysterious Dao patterns. At this moment, Wu Ming had already sensed the rudimentary form of Dao from these Dao patterns.

This should be a defensive Taoist technique that can draw upon the power of heaven and earth to condense a mysterious gate to resist power. However, here, the patterns of the Taoist technique have been perfectly integrated into the formation.

Formations are often the culmination of a lifetime of learning and enlightenment by cultivators who have undergone seven stages of cultivation. All the Dao techniques and traces are condensed together to form a unique Dao formation. Therefore, the things that can be contained within a formation are incredibly diverse and all-encompassing.

In comparison, the Seven Blood Warriors also possess a similar power, namely the 'Ultimate Domain'.

Once one's skills reach their peak and one's blood has been coagulated seven times, one can cultivate this power, which is similar to the formations of Daoist cultivators. It encompasses everything in one's life's martial blood and displays the ultimate martial arts.

of course,

Whether it's formations or domains, they are still too far away for Wu Ming. At this moment, he is only studying the mysteries of the Taoist methods within this Xuanmen formation.

(End of this chapter)