Chapter 1442: Seeing Wang Xuanjin Again

Boom!

An ancient, melodious bell chime reverberated through the heavens and earth, stirring layer upon layer of ripples in the very fabric of space.

Immediately afterward, a ten-thousand-zhang golden platform materialized in the sky. At the top of the platform were three seats, and at this moment, each seat was occupied by a figure. These three figures, merely by sitting there, radiated an utterly terrifying pressure.

Between heaven and earth, surging, vast energy stirred in response, as if forming energy tides with their very breathing, rushing across the world.

"King-level powerhouses!"

Such pressure was vast and overbearing, yet Li Luo's expression remained quite calm, for King-level powerhouses held no mysterious, awe-inspiring air for him.

"That's..."

Then Li Luo noticed that the figure seated in the very center among the three gave him a faint sense of familiarity.

The one in the center was a seemingly refined, scholarly middle-aged man. He held a bronze ruler in his hand, a golden gourd hung at his waist, and his gaze was like lightning. With a casual sweep of his eyes, he stirred wind and clouds.

"That is the headmaster of the Tianyuan Ancient Academy, Wang Xuanjin!" Vice Headmaster Guo Guo Jiufeng whispered from the side.

Li Luo suddenly understood. So this was the headmaster of the Tianyuan Ancient Academy, Wang Xuanjin. He had heard his voice before in the Little Chen Heaven, but had never seen his true appearance.

This headmaster was a Three-Crowned King!

In the seat to Wang Xuanjin's left sat a man in a golden robe, holding a golden jade seal in his hand. His face was dignified, like an emperor.

The seat on the right, however, gave Li Luo a bit of a surprise, for there was not a human figure there, but a lazily coiled great white python. The python's entire body was like white jade, and on its snake scales, faint, ancient, obscure light patterns surfaced.

Judging from the terrifying pressure emanating from this great white jade python, it was unmistakably a King-level existence as well.

Within its emerald-green vertical pupils flowed colors of wisdom and gentleness. Though its form was that of a python, its gaze gave one the impression of a serene, gentle lady.

The three towering figures manifested in the sky, immediately drawing reverent gazes from everyone within the Sky Mirror Pagoda, who hastened to bow and pay their respects.

"Everyone, I am the headmaster of the Tianyuan Ancient Academy, Wang Xuanjin." Wang Xuanjin's face showed a gentle expression. His gaze swept slowly, taking everything into his deep, abyss-like pupils.

Then he pointed at the golden-robed man holding the golden jade seal and said with a smile, "This is an elder of the Academy Alliance, Elder Golden Seal."

The golden-robed man nodded slightly.

"This is Elder Bai Yu."

Wang Xuanjin pointed at the great white jade python on the right. The latter gently flicked its forked tongue and, remarkably, spoke in human tongue, its voice soft and gentle: "This Sky Mirror Pagoda trial shall be presided over by us. We hope everyone will fully display your talents and strengthen our Alliance."

Everyone present hurriedly bowed.

"Three King-level powerhouses presiding, and one of them is a Three-Crowned King. What a grand gesture from the Academy Alliance." Li Luo, hidden among the crowd, secretly marveled. After all, the lineup of hosts alone was nearly equivalent to the entire top-tier strength of Li Li Tianwang's lineage.

The Academy Alliance truly lived up to its reputation as one of the factions with the deepest foundations among the current ten Outer Shenzhou.

"Everyone, you should already know the rules of the Sky Mirror Pagoda trial. The Crossing-Contention zone is divided into three tiers. Now, according to the rules, draw lots directly to determine your opponents." With a sweep of his sleeve, Wang Xuanjin sent three beams of light descending from the sky, landing respectively in the areas of the four great ancient academies in the innermost ring, the four holy academies of the Inner Shenzhou, and the six holy academies of the Outer Shenzhou.

These beams of light transformed into three enormous bamboo tubes, and within the tubes were glowing lots that flickered with flowing light.

Li Luo gazed at the bamboo tube suspended above their Outer Shenzhou holy academies, and then saw figures slowly rising one by one on the giant green-wood platforms not far away.

Those were the leaders put forward by the other five great holy academies of the Outer Shenzhou.

Li Luo's heart stirred slightly, and his gaze turned to the mid-air not far away, where a man in white robes was stepping through the void. This man had a pair of silver pupils, within which seemed to leap violent Lei Guang, inspiring awe in all who beheld him.

From this white-robed man, Li Luo sensed extremely powerful energy fluctuations—stronger even than Marquis Realm powerhouses like Guo Guo Jiufeng and Wang Xu, who were Upper Sixth Grade.

Li Luo's eyes flashed. Over the past few days, he had thoroughly memorized the intelligence on the six great holy academies of the Outer Shenzhou, so he immediately recognized the identity of this white-robed man.

Lei Fire Shenzhou, Lei Zhong Jie Holy Academy Vice Headmaster, Fang Xingyun, a Lower Seventh Grade Marquis Realm powerhouse.

This man was also the only one among the vice headmasters of the many holy academies of the six great Outer Shenzhou to have Ta Ru Qi Pin into the Seventh Grade Marquis Realm, making him the strongest vice headmaster among the many holy academies of the six great Outer Shenzhou.

If Li Luo wanted to covet the biggest piece of the cake among the Outer Shenzhou holy academies, this Fang Xingyun was the greatest stumbling block.

Li Luo's gaze shifted, and he saw a green-skirted woman of petite stature but rather voluptuous figure.

Cang Ming Shenzhou, Holy Kun Academy Vice Headmaster, Shui Baoping, an Upper Sixth Grade Marquis Realm powerhouse, with six Marquis Platforms, three of which were forged into nine pillars—her foundation was extraordinary.

There was also the vice headmaster from Wan Feng Shenzhou, Tian Feng Holy Academy, named Tang Chong, also an Upper Sixth Grade Marquis Realm powerhouse. He had forged two nine-pillar Marquis Platforms, and his strength was no less than Guo Guo Jiufeng's.

As for the other two vice headmasters, they were the leaders of the many holy academies of Bai Ling Shenzhou and Ji Ye Shenzhou. Their strength was somewhat inferior to Guo Guo Jiufeng's, estimated to be on the same level as Wang Xu, and posed no real threat.

Li Luo now had a clear understanding of the strength levels of these holy academies across the six great Outer Shenzhou. Among them, Lei Fire Shenzhou had the strongest lineup. Among its five main seats, it not only boasted a Lower Seventh Grade Marquis Realm powerhouse like Fang Xingyun, but also two Upper Sixth Grade and two Lower Sixth Grade Marquis Realm vice headmasters.

Cang Ming Shenzhou was slightly weaker, but only because it lacked a Lower Seventh Grade Marquis Realm powerhouse. That Shui Baoping was at the pinnacle of Sixth Grade Marquis Realm powerhouses, extremely formidable, and she was also assisted by two veteran Upper Sixth Grade vice headmasters.

Next was Wan Feng Shenzhou, led by Tang Chong. Among its five main seats were two Upper Sixth Grade and three Lower Sixth Grade Marquis Realm powerhouses.

Looking at their own East Domain Shenzhou, among the five main seats, there were only two Upper Sixth Grade Marquis Realm powerhouses like Guo Guo Jiufeng and Wang Xu; the rest were Lower Sixth Grade Marquis Realm powerhouses of varying levels, plus himself, that peculiar Unparalleled Second Grade.

Judging from the overall lineup, the gap was indeed considerable.

"Vice Headmaster Guo Guo Jiufeng, you should go draw the lots." Tian Huo Holy Academy's Vice Headmaster Chen Chi looked at Guo Guo Jiufeng and said with a smile.

"Don't blame me if the draw is bad." Guo Guo Jiufeng said helplessly.

"As long as we don't draw Lei Fire Shenzhou and Cang Ming Shenzhou in the first round, that counts as a good draw." Vice Headmaster Wang Xu of Holy Spring Academy said.

The other vice headmasters also nodded in succession.

Avoiding the first and second, their chances of advancing to the next round would be much greater.

Guo Guo Jiufeng shook his head helplessly, said no more, and his figure stepped into the air, approaching that enormous glowing bamboo tube. He then, simultaneously with the representatives of the other five great Outer Shenzhou holy academies, shot out a stream of phase force into the glowing bamboo tube.

The next instant, under the tense gazes of the teams from the many holy academies of the six great Outer Shenzhou, six streams of light shot out, then intertwined in mid-air, transforming into three exceptionally bright lines of light.

Each end of the lines pointed to a Shenzhou.

The people on the East Domain Shenzhou side hurriedly looked toward the opposite end of their line of light, and the faces of quite a few of them couldn't help but stiffen.

Because the other end of that line of light...

Was unmistakably pointing toward the location of Cang Ming Shenzhou!