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

As dawn broke, the lingering sadness that had hung over Qinglu Royal City for days was dispelled.

When the first rays of golden light fell upon the "Tianze Terrace," a massive plaza in the center of the royal city large enough to hold 100,000 people, it was already bustling with activity and filled with spiritual light.

The sea of ​​black heads stretched as far as the eye could see, and the clamor rose and fell like the tides of the sea.

Young talents from hundreds of prefectures and counties in the Eastern Region, countless sects, families, and independent cultivators gathered here like rivers flowing into the sea.

At a glance, there were nearly 100,000 people!

A multitude of auras, some strong, some weak, some sharp, some heavy, intertwined together.

The air was thick with excitement, tension, longing, and an undisguised competitive spirit.

Yao Mengkang stood at the front of the line at Qinglu Academy.

Looking at this vast sea of ​​people, I couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

One hundred thousand people!

It was comparable to taking the college entrance exam in my previous life.

No! It's even more shocking than the college entrance examination, after all, no single test center in the college entrance examination has 100,000 participants.

This is the appeal of the Heavenly Dao Academy.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the potential of the younger generation on this continent.

Those who can stand here are all geniuses from their respective regions.

Today, they will compete for even more limited opportunities on this stage.

Led by Vice Deans Shangguan Hong and Xiao Yunhai, the members of Qinglu Academy were positioned at the front of one side of the square.

Xuanyuan Po stood with his sword in his arms, his aura of coldness concealed, yet he still attracted attention.

Zhou Tiancan looked around excitedly, while Mu Qingqing nervously clutched the hem of her clothes.

Wang Le, Huo Ling'er, and the others also looked solemn, feeling unprecedented pressure.

Several figures quietly appeared on the high platform at the very front of the square.

Its profound aura, like a stabilizing pillar, instantly attracted everyone's attention.

The person in the center is Elder Li Xun of the Heavenly Dao Academy, and there are several academy deacons beside him.

The appointed time had arrived. Elder Li Xun stepped forward slowly, his calm yet powerful voice clearly reaching the ears of everyone present, silencing all the noise:

"The Heavenly Path Academy, upholding the Dao Ancestor's principle of universal education and selecting outstanding talents, is here today to open its gates and welcome new members!"

"I hereby declare the recruitment ceremony to commence!"

The entire room fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

The assessment consists of three stages.

Elder Li Xun's gaze swept over the countless expectant faces below as he announced the rules.

"The first hurdle is bone age and physical condition assessment."

"Bone age, 20 years and under."

"The cultivation level required for the Meridian Opening Realm is the ninth level or above."

"To advance to the Spirit Sea Realm, one must be twenty years of age or younger and under thirty years of age."

"The initial spiritual sea must be at least one hundred feet deep."

"Above one hundred feet for the first level of the Spirit Sea, above two hundred feet for the second level, and so on!"

The rules caused a slight stir below.

The conditions, especially those for the Spirit Sea Realm, caused many older individuals who were progressing slowly to turn pale.

Someone muttered to themselves, "Didn't they say three years ago that anyone over 300 zhang had a chance?"

Detection method: The pulse-opening device can measure the specific pulse-opening status.

The Spirit Sea Realm, in terms of its breadth and range, is divided into:

Below ten zhang, ten zhang to one hundred zhang, one hundred zhang to one thousand zhang, one thousand zhang to ten thousand zhang, ten thousand zhang to one hundred thousand zhang, and... the boundless spiritual sea.

The actual size can be measured from a depth of a thousand feet.

The four characters "Boundless Spiritual Sea" have attracted the attention of many insiders.

They flocked to those geniuses whose auras were the most astonishing.

"The second test is the 'Heart-Testing Formation.' It examines their character; those who are evil, bloodthirsty, or have impure motives will be eliminated!"

"The third stage is the practical assessment. It is tentatively planned to combine the preliminary selection in the secret realm with the arena competition to determine the final top ten. The top ten will directly become core disciples of the Heavenly Dao Academy. Specific details will be announced later."

After the rules were announced, discussions broke out again in the square; some were eager to try, while others were worried.

Before the testing officially began, Vice Dean Shangguan Hong quietly introduced some prominent figures in the arena to Yao Mengkang and other core disciples.

"Look over there, surrounded by crimson flames, that's 'Fire Valley,' and the leader is Elder Blazing Fire."

"That red-haired boy is Huo Wushuang, the son of the Valley Master. He is at the Spirit Sea Realm and is said to possess a rare fire and have astonishing talent."

"The group of people on the west side wearing animal skins and with blood and energy like a furnace are body cultivators from 'Barbarian Elephant Mountain.' Their eldest brother, Barbarian Stone, is strong enough to move mountains and should not be underestimated."

"And there's 'Azure Wave Pool', 'Sword Listening Pavilion'... "

Shangguan Hong spoke with great familiarity, giving Yao Mengkang and others a clearer understanding of the Eastern Region's forces and the top young talents.

Many forces have come to this place, bringing their best disciples.

According to Yao Mengkang's perception, the weakest people present were like Li Xiang, while there were many with auras as powerful as Zhao Zhongming.

According to the academy's assessment requirements, inner court disciples like Li Xiang do not meet the standards to participate in the assessment.

Just then, two familiar groups of people walked towards Qinglu Academy.

A group of people, dressed simply and with a gentle demeanor, were members of the Mu family.

The girl in the lead was dressed in a green dress; she had a beautiful face and a graceful figure.

His aura was clearly that of someone at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm.

She smiled and walked towards Mu Qingqing: "Cousin Qingqing."

"Cousin!"

Mu Qingqing stepped forward with delight, and the two sisters greeted each other warmly.

This is Mu Wanqing, the outstanding young member of the Mu family.

The other group appeared bold and rugged; they were members of the Zhou family.

The leader was a burly young man whose aura was also at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm.

His voice boomed like thunder: "Heavenly Ginseng!"

"Cousin!" Zhou Tiancan greeted him with a loud laugh, exchanging a punch with the young man, creating a lively atmosphere.

This is Zhou Feng, the most outstanding member of the Zhou family in this generation.

The Mu and Zhou families have always been on good terms, and when their children gathered, it was naturally a lively occasion.

However, this harmonious atmosphere did not last long.

Two powerful auras approached with undisguised arrogance.

The group on the left, dressed in earthen-yellow outfits, exuded a powerful and heavy aura; they were members of the "Houtu Sect," specializing in defense.

The group on the right, clad in silver robes and exuding an aura of sharpness, belonged to the formidable "Golden Gang Sect." Both of these families were stronger than the Mu and Zhou families and had a long-standing feud.

The leader of the Houtu Sect was a young man with a kind face but arrogant eyes.

He sneered, "So it's the Mu family's 'Green Vine' and the Zhou family's 'Wild Bull'."

"What, you think you can try your luck here? You'd better go back and tend to your plants and mines, so you don't embarrass yourselves on this stage."

On the Jin Gang Sect's side, a young man with a long sword on his back and a cold face spoke with words as sharp as knives: "You worthless chickens and dogs, how dare you stand on the same level as us?"

"Pray you don't run into me in the secret realm, or else, your sword will strike without mercy."

The blatant humiliation made Zhou Feng clench his fists, and veins bulged on his forehead.

The members of both the Mu and Zhou families showed anger on their faces, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

The Zhou family disciples have never been good with words, and Zhou Feng is no exception.

Zhou Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, showing signs that he was about to make a move at the slightest provocation.

Fortunately, this was the Heavenly Dao Academy's assessment site, and both sides exercised restraint. They did not actually fight, lest they be disqualified from participating in the selection.

Yao Mengkang calmly watched this scene unfold. Conflict had broken out, and this path of assessment was destined to be anything but peaceful. And all of this was just the beginning.