From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the morning light of the third day pierced through the clouds and shone on the huge bluestone square in the center of Qinglu Academy.

An irrepressible restlessness and anticipation had already spread throughout the area.

In the center of the square, a colossal object floated silently, three feet off the ground.

Its entire body shimmered with a rich, warm, dark yellow luster; it was indeed—the Dark Yellow Boat.

The boat is ten zhang long, with simple and smooth lines, and its surface is engraved with countless intricate runes that are faintly connected to the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

It exudes a reassuring and stable aura.

Vice Dean Shangguan Hong and Elder Qin Feng were already standing on the bow deck of the ship.

Behind the two were five attendants with solemn expressions and deep concentration.

Shangguan Hong stood with his hands behind his back, his purple robe fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

His gaze swept over the crowd of disciples gathered below.

A barely perceptible hint of relief and anticipation flickered in the depths of his calm, deep eyes.

"Ninety-seven people...those who have opened their meridians to the ninth level or above are all included in this list."

He was silent.

"Having undergone trials in the secret realm and internal selection within the academy, the quality of this year's disciples surpasses that of previous years."

"Yao Mengkang, Xuanyuan Po, Zhou Tiancan, Li Han... are all outstanding individuals."

"I think that in this year's Heavenly Dao Academy assessment, my Qinglu Academy will not be like in previous years, where only a handful of people barely managed to enter the academy, or even be completely wiped out."

Thinking about the academy's "achievements" over the past decade.

His lips tightened slightly, but it was quickly replaced by an even stronger sense of anticipation.

A faint hint of fighting spirit and reminiscence flashed across his eyes.

Qin Feng, standing to the side, was much more relaxed.

He leaned against the railing, his blue robe loose, his handsome face bearing his usual nonchalant attitude, as if the events before him had little to do with him.

However, if one looked closely, one could see that his slightly narrowed eyes also gleamed with a sharp light.

"Hey, finally I'm getting out of this suffocating place."

Qin Feng muttered to himself, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"The capital of the Great Xia Dynasty is quite an interesting place."

"Heavenly Dao Academy... I wonder how those guys who beat me to a pulp back then are doing now?"

"Will we run into them this time?"

"I wonder what level of Yuan Dan they are at now."

Thinking back to his "miserable state" back then.

Far from being ashamed, he even curled his lips into an intrigued smile, seemingly looking forward to their reunion.

"And that old scoundrel of a dean, I wonder where he sneaked off to do something... tsk."

His thoughts drifted, but his gaze swept over the disciples below as precisely as a ruler.

He lingered on Yao Mengkang for a moment, with an indescribable look of curiosity.

Below, ninety-seven disciples stood in order, silent but unable to hide their excitement.

These ninety-seven people were all elites who had passed the academy's examination and were confirmed to be qualified to go to the Great Xia Royal City to participate in the examination and try their luck.

Among them were the top ten disciples of the outer academy, who were the hope for this assessment.

Yao Mengkang stood at the forefront of the ten disciples, his mind relatively at peace.

He looked up at the enormous black and yellow boat, without much arrogance in his heart.

Instead, it reflects a cautious and expectant attitude towards the future.

"The Heavenly Dao Academy, a sacred place for cultivation on the continent... I wonder what it's like there? What interesting people will I encounter?"

His gaze swept over the mysterious runes on the boat, sensing the immense power contained within them.

My yearning for a higher realm grew stronger.

Xuanyuan Po stood tall and straight like a spear, with a cold and stern face.

He pursed his lips tightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

It stems from both resentment towards family pressure and a desire to prove oneself.

There was also a hint of solemnity regarding the unknown and powerful enemy.

"The Heavenly Dao Sect... the Xuanyuan Family... this time, I will definitely enter the Heavenly Dao Academy based on my own abilities!"

He clenched his fist, his knuckles turning slightly white.

Mu Qingqing calmly surveyed the Xuanhuang Boat with her beautiful eyes.

Her beautiful face remained calm and serene.

She secretly glanced at Zhou Tiancan, who stood ramrod straight beside her like an iron tower.

A sweet smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.

But she quickly composed herself and returned to her intellectual and serene demeanor.

Zhou Tiancan scratched his head, looking somewhat flustered.

Seemingly sensing Mu Qingqing's gaze, his ears turned slightly red.

He quickly lowered his eyes and focused on his mind, but in his heart he was silently making plans.

"The Spirit-Nourishing Stone Tablet... I need to make the most of this month and try to further enhance my spiritual power before the assessment! I should strive to sense the Ancestral Meridian."

Li Han stood at the edge of the crowd like a shadow, his aura almost blending into the surrounding environment.

His face was expressionless, except for a sharp glint in the depths of his eyes.

"The Great Xia capital is a melting pot of all sorts of people... It is the perfect place to hone one's skills in the path of shadow."

The other ten disciples included Shi Hao, who had a calm demeanor and carried a longbow.

Wang Le has a warm smile on his face, but his eyes are sharp and reserved.

Huo Ling'er, dressed in red, has a fiery and passionate personality.

And the twin siblings, Xu Zijian and Xu Ziyi, who look alike but have contrasting personalities—one strong and the other gentle.

At this moment, each person harbors their own thoughts: some are expectant, some are proud, and some are cautious.

Without exception, they were all filled with fighting spirit for the journey that was about to begin and that crucial test.

The other disciples who had just reached the ninth level of the Meridian Opening stage and barely qualified had even more complicated feelings.

Most of them knew their hopes were slim, but their eyes still burned with unwillingness and longing.

"The Heavenly Dao Academy... I've heard it's teeming with geniuses. With my current strength, I'm afraid..."

One of the disciples sighed softly, his face showing apprehension.

"What's there to be afraid of! What if I'm lucky and the assessment happens to be something I'm good at?"

The other man clenched his fist in encouragement, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Even if I can't get into the Heavenly Dao Academy, just being able to visit the Great Xia Royal City will make the trip worthwhile!"

Many others approach it with the idea of ​​broadening their horizons, and their mindset is relatively relaxed.

But that anticipation for the unknown remains just as strong.

"Board the ship!"

Shangguan Hong's deep voice echoed across the square, interrupting everyone's thoughts.

The disciples leaped onto the spacious deck of the Xuanhuang Boat in turn.

After everyone had boarded the ship, Shangguan Hong and Qin Feng exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

The next moment, the runes around the Xuanhuang Boat lit up one by one, emitting a strong dark yellow light.

hum-

With a deep rumble, the massive ship trembled slightly before beginning to rise steadily.

At first, the pace was slow, and you could clearly see the crowd of people seeing them off in the square below getting smaller and smaller, with the buildings of the academy spreading out like a miniature model.

Immediately afterwards, the Xuanhuang Boat began to accelerate, transforming into a streak of Xuanhuang light.

Breaking through the clouds, soaring straight into the azure sky!

"Wow!"

Exclamations of surprise echoed across the deck.

Although most disciples were not riding flying magical artifacts for the first time.

But this was the first time they had flown to such an altitude over the mainland.

Yao Mengkang leaned against the cold railing, looking down.

The mountains and rivers unfolded slowly beneath my feet like a giant scroll.

What were once majestic and towering peaks now appear as nothing more than undulating green mounds.

The meandering, rushing rivers have become ribbons shimmering with silver light.

Vast plains, dense forests, and towns scattered like stars in the sky...

At such a height, all the colossal objects on the ground become small and clear, presenting an unprecedented grandeur and order.

He couldn't help but recall that he had just transmigrated here two months ago.

Having just transmigrated, I found myself facing two butlers with ulterior motives.

The gap in strength is obvious

He could only improvise and barely managed to intimidate them by using the fact that he was the dean.

Now, we can defeat them head-on.

Before I knew it, my horizons had broadened considerably.

You can see the mountains surrounding the academy and the distant horizon.

But only now, soaring high above the heavens, did he truly understand what it meant to "look down upon the mountains and rivers" and what it meant to "see the vastness of heaven and earth"!

Walking on the ground, mountains are mountains, and water is water; one feels only one's own insignificance and the road ahead is difficult.

Now, soaring above the clouds, seeing mountains as mere mud balls and rivers as thin as belts, I am truly astonished.

The past hardships and struggles were nothing more than petty squabbles confined to a small space.

It's not that the mountains and rivers have shrunk, but rather that his position has become higher.

"Isn't the same true of cultivation levels?"

A sudden realization dawned on Yao Mengkang.

"When you reach the Meridian Opening Realm, you temper your physical body and open up your meridians, believing that power is the foundation."

"Only when one breaks through to the Spirit Sea will one know the realm of the Spirit Sea, where one can absorb the primordial energy of heaven and earth into the dantian, and one's vision will also broaden accordingly."

But the gap between geniuses and mediocre people can be even greater.

And the Yuan Dan, the Divine Bridge, and even higher realms... each breakthrough is like taking a step higher.

The "scenery" one sees and the "way" one understands will certainly be completely different.

When Elder Qin Feng commented on Zhou Tong and Zhao Qian that day, the absolute difference in strength was revealed in his casual remarks.

In Elder Qin's eyes, the battles among those at the Spirit Sea Realm were probably as obvious as the mountains and rivers beneath his feet, even... insignificant.

"My journey is still long."

Yao Mengkang took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air high in the sky, his gaze becoming even more determined and profound.

The Heavenly Path Academy was the next step for him to climb higher and see a broader "landscape"!

It's not just Yao Mengkang.

The other disciples on the deck, such as Xuan Yuanpo, Shi Hao, and Xu Zijian, were all astute individuals.

Looking at the magnificent mountains and rivers rushing past below, their faces showed expressions of shock and contemplation.

This experience of looking down from the sky undoubtedly planted a seed called "vision" in their hearts.