Chapter 64

Leading such trivial matters is naturally left to Zhuang Weinan.

“Stay close, don’t fall behind.”

Her gentle voice rang out ahead as she led the new students down the Immortal Vessel.

The number of new students from Qing Shan Sect was around a hundred, easily identifiable by their green dao robes, each embroidered with a simple, ancient-style flying sword on the chest.

When the students gathered on the mountainside saw the green robes, they all instinctively cleared a path.

“Are these the new students of Qing Shan Sect? I heard this year’s Immortal List Top Graduate is from Qing Shan.”

“That one with the sword—Chu Wange!”

“So fierce, I’m in love.”

“...”

Murmurs spread through the crowd, mostly centered on Chu Wange, this year’s Immortal List Top Graduate.

Occasionally, a few words drifted into Lin Mo’s ears.

“Aren’t there also a Top Ten on the Immortal List, someone named Lin Mo? Where is he?”

Right here!

“I heard they’re from the same school—maybe a couple?”

No, it’s free-ride and being free-rided.

“Huh? Isn’t it a sugar daddy relationship?”

Nonsense!

“...”

Amid the chatter, Lin Mo suddenly heard a shout:

“Chu Wange! Lin Mo!”

He instinctively turned his head and saw a familiar figure appear before him.

“Zhu Hongyuan?”

Lin Mo recognized him first.

He wore a gray dao robe, pushing through the crowd, staring at him in surprise:

“You know me?”

A famous second-generation immortal from Nan Shan No. 4 High, the number-two contender who dominated for three years...

Lin Mo naturally recognized him and smiled: “You were far more famous than me back at Nan Shan.”

Zhu Hongyuan scratched his head, a hint of embarrassment on his face: “That was then. Now you’re Tenth on the Immortal List—you’re famous all over Nan Shan!”

Lin Mo and Chu Wange, along with others, had been dumped onto an Immortal Vessel with no signal after the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam.

Zhu Hongyuan, however, had rushed from a regular exam center to the Awakening Cliff and could learn about school news through his spirit device.

Now, the fact that Lin Mo and the others had entered Qing Shan Sect was known not just across the entire school, but throughout Rongcheng.

Especially Lin Mo and Chu Wange—one in the Top Ten, the other the Top Graduate—had already become the “legend” of this year’s Nan Shan class.

This news would soon spread across Rongcheng, even throughout Xichuan Province.

After speaking, Zhu Hongyuan’s gaze unconsciously drifted toward Chu Wange beside Lin Mo.

Compared to Lin Mo’s politeness, Chu Wange merely nodded slightly at her classmate as a response.

A clear flicker of disappointment passed through Zhu Hongyuan’s eyes, but he quickly recovered, forcing a smile:

“This year, Nan Shan is really impressive—three of us made it into Qing Shan Sect. Our school’s hit the jackpot!”

Before Lin Mo could speak, Ye Chen scoffed behind him: “What’s that got to do with you?”

“You...”

Zhu Hongyuan fixed his gaze on Ye Chen, fists clenched.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow at him: “What? Want to fight? I’m ready anytime.”

Zhu Hongyuan clenched his fists, his eyes flickering as if remembering something, then stepped back one pace—choosing not to argue.

Maybe back at Nan Shan No. 4 High it didn’t matter, but only once you enter a Dao Academy do you realize how vast the gap between you and them will be.

Zhu Hongyuan was accepted into Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, a respectable ranking among Qin Zhou’s thirty Dao Academies.

But compared to the Nine Great Academies, the difference was still qualitative.

Leaving distant comparisons aside, according to the Foundation Establishment Handbook, the Awakening Cliff has nine levels of Awakening Platforms, and the higher you go, the stronger the [Awakening Mist Light] blessing.

The Nine Great Academies have the fewest new students, yet they occupy the top three levels.

Students like Zhu Hongyuan, even among the top of ordinary academies, can at best reach the sixth level—far inferior to even the most average new student of the Nine Great Academies.

As for Li Feng from Lin Mo’s old class, barely scraped in through the Immortal Exam, he’s stuck at the foot of the Awakening Cliff—how effective the mist light blessing is for him goes without saying.

That step Zhu Hongyuan took back wasn’t just yielding to Ye Chen—it was yielding to the Nine Great Academies.

“Hmph.”

Ye Chen snorted, sneered at him, and walked straight past.

Lin Mo wanted to say something, but ahead, Senior Sister Zhuang Weinan called out:

“Those behind, hurry up~ Time’s running short!”

Lin Mo replied, slapped Zhu Hongyuan on the shoulder, said “See you later,” then walked side by side with Chu Wange to catch up with the group.

Zhu Hongyuan watched their figures climb higher and higher, fists tightening slightly, then sighed helplessly in his heart and headed toward his own group.

A few minutes later.

Zhuang Weinan stopped on a platform and turned to face the new students:

“Those ranked below 300th in the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam, your spots are here.”

She pointed to hundreds of meditation cushions on the distant platform and added:

“Each cushion has a sequence number—sit according to your exam ranking.”

The top three levels of the Awakening Cliff are arranged strictly by Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam ranking.

The higher your rank, the higher your platform.

Hearing this, most of the new students halted.

Of the hundred new students, over sixty stopped—Ye Chen included, who had been so boastful just now.

He ranked around five hundredth in the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam—a mid-to-lower tier position, so he could only enjoy the seventh-level Awakening Platform.

In fact, he was only one level higher than Zhu Hongyuan just now.

“The rest, follow me higher!”

Zhuang Weinan didn’t waste time; she turned and continued leading the group.

The remaining thirty-some included Lin Mo, who ranked in the Immortal List Top Ten.

Ye Chen watched Lin Mo continue climbing, his brow furrowing; Lin Mo noticed his expression and, as he passed, deliberately raised an eyebrow, a smirk curling his lips:

“Hmph!”

Ye Chen’s expression darkened instantly, but like Zhu Hongyuan before him, he could only clench his fists—do nothing.

His position on the Awakening Cliff wasn’t something a mere new student could decide.

He snorted: “Just dumb luck...”

Meanwhile, Lin Mo—who had “dumb luck”—continued climbing with Zhuang Weinan, finally reaching the eighth-level Awakening Platform.

This time, the screening was just as direct.

“Everyone except Lin Mo and Chu Wange, stop here.”

Zhuang Weinan said.

Though the new students already knew their rankings and the Awakening Cliff’s rules, a pang of disappointment still rose in their hearts; they could only gaze with envy as Lin Mo and Chu Wange ascended further up the cliff.

After another ten minutes or so, the three finally reached the very top of the Awakening Cliff—the ninth and final Awakening Platform.

The view atop the Awakening Cliff didn’t strike Lin Mo as particularly astonishing.

On the contrary, compared to the strange rocks and steep cliffs halfway up, the summit felt strangely barren.

Outside the platform stood only a few twisted pine trees, their branches sparse with leaves.

Aside from those few pines, the only things on the flat platform were twenty neatly arranged meditation cushions.

Arranged in clear, tiered rows.

This platform was the smallest of all the Awakening Platforms, yet the distance between seats was wider than on any lower level.

Zhuang Weinan wiped the sweat from her brow, glanced at the misty horizon where the dawn light was beginning to break through, and said to the two:

“Quickly take your seats—the mist light is almost here.”