Chapter 869: Elite Disciples

"Ha ha, look at me, I'm a little impatient! You probably haven't heard of the few factions inside the academy yet! No hurry, go back and think it over slowly!" Fourth Prince said generously.

After that, he chatted with Ye Liuyun and the others for a while, then made an excuse and left.

"What's the Fourth Prince's name? What's the story with Lin Yuan Pavilion?" After the Fourth Prince left, Ye Liuyun and the others finally asked Liang Xinyu.

Liang Xinyu explained: "The Fourth Prince's real name is Xia Tian Yuan. Lin Yuan Pavilion was founded by the Fourth Prince, a disciple faction within the academy.

Besides the Fourth Prince's Lin Yuan Pavilion, there are several other famous factions. One is Tian Jiao Pavilion founded by Crown Prince Xia Tian Jiao, another is Wan Long Society founded by Seventh Prince Xia Tian Yu, and another is Feng Lin Pavilion founded by Ninth Princess Xia Tian Lin…"

Liang Xinyu recited them one by one, telling Ye Liuyun each.

During Liang Xinyu's explanation to Ye Liuyun, Ye Liuyun also secretly told Liang Xue that the Fourth Prince Xia Tian Yuan is a Shadow, urging him to be on guard.

Although Liang Xue is not in the Qian Long Academy, it's still good to have it in mind first.

After Liang Xinyu finished, Ye Liuyun asked her, "After this test ends, must we join a faction?"

"Joining a faction isn't mandatory. Moreover, you now hold a title, so whichever faction you join, you stand on that side; it's better to be cautious!" Liang Xinyu reminded Ye Liuyun.

"Oh!" Ye Liuyun nodded, also realizing that choosing a faction might involve dynastic power matters.

They chatted for a while before preparing to return to the academy.

In the safety zone, there are teleportation arrays set up by each academy, all guarded by the elders of their respective academies.

Ye Liuyun first sent Liang Xue over, bidding her a reluctant farewell.

After watching her being teleported back to the academy, Ye Liuyun led the others to the teleportation array of the Qian Long Academy.

When they arrived, Fengchen and the other three were already waiting there.

The other three were covered in wounds, barely able to stand. Yet Fengchen, though looking a bit disheveled, bore no obvious battle marks.

Ye Liuyun glanced over, silently suspecting, "Given Fengchen's realm, he probably wouldn't break into the safety zone so easily! Could this guy have joined the Shadows?"

But it was only a hidden suspicion. Even if Fengchen had joined the Shadows, it wouldn't concern him.

Ye Liuyun and the others waited a while longer, still seeing no one return, then used the teleportation array to go back to the academy.

Li Qingyun was already waiting beside the array for them.

Seeing the eight returnees, he couldn't help but clap and cheer.

"Not bad! Eight have returned, much stronger than I expected!" Li Qingyun laughed, "Go rest for now; tomorrow morning, gather at the arena, and I'll take you into the Outer Gate!"

Li Qingyun didn't ask much, simply sent them off to rest.

As soon as Ye Liuyun stepped out, the Nether Curse flickered. "Just over half a month left!"

He knew himself that the real battle was also approaching.

The decisive factors would still be Ghost Butterfly and Ice Demon Tiger.

So that night, he gave Ghost Butterfly and Ice Demon Tiger each two foreign True Essence pills, letting them return to the Xuan Kong Shi to break through another realm.

The True Essence pills obtained on the assassination battlefield, Ye Liuyun also split them evenly between the two.

He himself also returned to the Space World, communicating with its power. He hoped to draw a bit more of the Space World's strength before battling the Nether Hell.

The others were busy healing their injuries. Early the next morning, everyone had mostly recovered and gathered beneath the arena, waiting to enter the Outer Courtyard.

Li Qingyun first led them to receive the disciple attire of the Outer Courtyard.

Their garments had collars and cuffs distinct from ordinary disciples' attire, edged with golden silk threads to show the difference between elite disciples and regular ones.

Then, Lin Qingyun took them to the Hall of Merit to record their test points.

Seeing the corpses he produced, even Li Qingyun was somewhat shocked.

"A Shadow of the Fifth Zao Hua Realm, a sect disciple of the Ninth Zao Hua Realm! How did you manage that, kid?"

Corpses from the Yin-Yang Realm could be exchanged for one point. Early Zao Hua gave two points, mid Zao Hua three points, late Zao Hua four points. Shadows added an extra point.

In the end, Ye Liuyun tallied 319 points, obviously the highest.

The others didn't even reach a hundred points; they killed very few early Zao Hua disciples.

Under the admiring gazes of the crowd, Ye Liuyun received a Token.

"This is a Token for a day's cultivation at the Qian Long Pool. It's the sect's reward for the top test performer," Lin Qingyun announced.

"What is this Qian Long Pool?" Ye Liuyun asked, puzzled.

"It's a sacred site of the sect. The Qian Long liquid in the pool can comprehensively enhance your Physical Body, True Essence, and Soul. Cherish the opportunity!" Li Qingyun explained simply, "I suggest you use it after you break through the Zao Hua Realm."

Ye Liuyun tucked the Token away and followed Li Qingyun to their quarters.

The elite disciples' quarters also differed from ordinary ones; each had their own Side Courtyard.

Ye Liuyun casually chose a room, and Yuan Datou, Liang Xinyu, and Ling Shuang also selected rooms next to his.

Fengchen, however, chose a relatively remote room.

"From now on, elite disciples like you will receive one hundred thousand premium Spirit Stones each month, various pills—three times those of ordinary disciples—and a grade one level higher. I hope you cultivate well and enter the Inner Gate soon."

Hearing this, everyone felt a mix of lingering resentment, surprise, and joy.

Only Ye Liuyun was not particularly interested in these resources.

"What conditions allow entry into the Inner Gate?" he asked aloud.

"A disciple of the Zao Hua Realm, relying on one's own strength without external aid, can enter the Inner Gate by defeating all provisional Inner Gate disciples. Otherwise, wait until the Fourth Zao Hua and queue slowly," Li Qingyun said.

"If one's realm hasn't reached the Zao Hua Realm, can one apply early to enter the Inner Gate?" Ye Liuyun asked again.

Li Qingyun glanced at him, thought for a moment, and said, "If you can beat those provisional Inner Gate disciples, that's enough! But I suggest you wait until you reach the Zao Hua Realm before entering. If your realm is low after entering, you'd just get bullied, wouldn't you?"

Ye Liuyun nodded, finding the point reasonable.

"Alright, the rest, you can get familiar with at your own pace!" Li Qingyun said, leaving them to explore the environment alone.

Not long after, Wei Pangzi and Su Manning came over, congratulating them on becoming elite disciples.

Hearing about their benefits, the two were even more envious.

Ordinary disciples receive only ten thousand premium Spirit Stones per month, and their pills are only a third of theirs, barely enough.